I saw a Mr. Rogers quote recently that stopped me in my tracks. As many do. The purpose of life is to listen – to yourself, to your neighbor, to your world, and to God and, when the time comes, to respond in as helpful a way as you can find…from with and without. I …
I’ve fallen into some lovely and restorative conversations with family and friends over the past weeks of holiday gatherings. Short moments of connection, emerging here and there in the corner of a living room or while putting dishes into the dishwasher; usually, these conversational gems squeak into the space just after one person involved checks …
Hello, friends! Thanks for your patience with my summer absence. I’ve been regrouping, in all ways and places. So good, and so very necessary. Since my girl was born last summer, I’ve been wading around in what feels like murky waters. What was a reasonably well balanced life suddenly felt like (not unexpected) chaos. Mostly …
Do you ever have times – maybe a moment, or a day, or even a stretch of days – where you feel absolutely raw? An open, throbbing, vulnerable heart thrust into the world? I do. Sometimes it’s just a glimmer that takes my breath away. Sometimes it lasts longer. I feel so deeply connected with …
The other day, I was perusing an online pediatric OT board where folks come to share stories and request help with client care situations. It’s the place to go if you’ve tried everything you know to help your little charge, but nothing’s working. Or to ask for course recommendations, or billing questions — you get the idea. …
Many of you have heard the “spoon theory” of chronic illness management and energy conservation. It goes something like this: Every morning, your average healthy and well-rested person wakes up with an enormous pile of spoons. There are so many spoons, there’s no need to count or monitor their use. Someone living with any kind of compromised …
It’s been a busy and bleary winter at our home. You already know the story – sleep craziness, never-ending viruses of all varieties, working on a new family balance. No need to revisit (just check my last several posts – ha!). I know we aren’t alone in a lot of this. It’s been an endurance-testing …
The word “yoga” means to yoke or unite; to pull seemingly unrelated, chaotic elements together and watch as they become a beautiful whole. One of the eight limbs of yoga is meditation, or dhyana. In yogic terms, meditation is the point at which we are fully immersed in the moment – when you’re “in the …
Usually, at the start of a new year, I like to sit down with a cup of tea, some thoughtful books, and a journal and set intentions. It’s a nice tradition, even if the contents of the journaling are quickly lost in the sea of busy days. I have yet to lift a pen or read …
Happy 2017, Gray Bird readers! So glad to be starting another year in your company. Recently, Parker Palmer, whose writings and life work I admire very much, posted this quote on his Facebook page [Side note: I’ve referenced my carefully-curated Facebook feed here before. I limit it to things that shift my attention in a constructive direction, …
