I have journaled about expectation versus hope before, but I am in a city far from my old journals and can’t access my previous thoughts today and today is Thursday, the day of the week I have committed to posting my weekly thoughts. The last book I read (Unreasonable
I was trained in ballet. I have rhythm and I love to dance. I went to every junior high and high school dance and danced to every song. In high school I dated college boys who could get me into bars when live bands were playing Carolina beach music, popularized
“Find your oxygen, everyone’s is different.” Will Guidara in Unreasonable Hospitality. There is a lot of uncertainty is in my life right now and although I have an amazing running coach who will tell you I follow her workout plans for me almost religiously, this morning I needed some
Mindfulness sounds easy but it’s not. Especially for someone who has attempted to double task for so much of my life. Even after I know science has shown that it is not as efficient as single tasking for most things. I seem to think I am different. I am
One of my goals this year was to participate in a backyard ultra. I had signed up for one in May. However, that was the month my dad died and so it was not to be. However, I am someone who likes to have something to guide my training so
I have been re-reading my old journals. I was reading from about a year ago and reminded that I had two hard falls while trial running that bruised ribs, skinned knees and elbows and caused nose or mouth bleeding (but thankfully no teeth were sacrificed and no bones broken)
I just spent a day and a half out of town with a dear friend and writing partner . We cut our planned time together because of family needs, but we enjoyed (while also doing some meaningful work) every minute of it. This time together got me thinking more about friends.
I have had many acquaintances. As the spouse of an ambitious upper-level university administrator, moving geographically to attain the next level position and providing care for my family while trying to pursue my own professional career required most of my energy and time. As we age, we typically increase
Some places just feel like home. I didn’t know that until I left home. I was born and grew up in central North Carolina, so it is also my first home. Specifically, the woods of central NC have always felt like home to me. As a child in a
Just at dawn the other day I was running on a paved trail, feeling the burdens of my responsibilities and commitments and mulling them over in my mind, seeking some reassurance I was where I needed to be, doing what I needed to be doing (yes, of course, going on
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you may have noticed by now that I integrate my reading into my reflective practice. Reading is part of my reflective practice and of course something I do for fun. For fun, I am reading a book on horse training which
My morning reading and writing (pages) are part of my daily renewal. “(with) a profound tonic, with sanctuary and rest, we can prepare to go forth again.” This quote is from 365 Tao: Daily Meditations, a book I found in a little free library that I have been reading daily.
I have always enjoyed biographies and memoir. Probably memoir the best. In the back of my mind, I have held a tiny flame of an idea that I could write one. This flame is constantly kept small by negative thoughts. What’s so special about me? Who would care enough
You all know about my pages. As I recount my daily life, readings, listens, experiences and emotions, I find myself using the words, should, try, but and have to. I never use the word should in my professional writing because it sounds judgy and that is not appreciated by readers
I have been counting my “free days” since I learned about them. Free days are a beautiful notion. I read about them in Free Days with George by Colin Campbell. A free day happens when you spend it doing exactly what you want to do and doing it with who
I practice gratitude every day. I have a separate journal for it. I write a daily list of persons, places, things, situations I am grateful for. Gratitude practice is evidence based and supports mindfulness and presence, but it can also sometimes foster resignation, a belief that “I have so much,
“Writing to find my happiness, I find my happiness.” Julia Cameron The act of writing my pages helps me find myself and brings me a sense of peace by letting my thoughts and feelings “out” of my head. Morning pages, three of them are the brainchild of Julia Cameron in
“The answer to your problem could be something as simple as slow-down.” Charlotte Preval-Reed Do you know how many books and research studies I have read on the broad concept of Rest? Me either, because it is so many. If knowledge led to action, I would be the
I was so happy I decided to do a hard trail run last month. On the way there I heard a song on my Taylor Swift Radio station on Spotify titled: Grow, Glow and Flow by Auracle Vibes. I almost exclusively listen to Taylor Swift when I need to increase
Remarks for my dad at his celebration of life, May 24, 2026. My life with dad began in 1959, my twin brother and sister in 1961. Dad was more than a physics professor that brought home liquid nitrogen to treat our and the neighbor kid’s warts. He taught us
Right after my father’s death, the husband of a new friend reached out with a request for my (and others) thoughts on motherhood which he planned to compile as a small dose of wisdom for his wife and of course the mother of his children for Mother’s Day.
A permission slip is a concept some of us remember from school. You needed to ask for a permission slip from the teacher to be outside of the classroom during school hours or it is something parents sign so children can go on a field trip; things you were not
While on my run yesterday I had the idea to start a blog. It is not the first time this idea has come to be but this time it spoke to me in a more formed and insistent way. It said “you are always writing anyway, as a devotee to
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