Every year I review my treatment plan with my psychotherapist. I have a diagnosis of PTSD that makes complete sense to me given my childhood, my health challenges and the layers of trauma I have survived in my life. This past week, my therapist and I were again reviewing my treatment plan and she asked … Read more
The Fall Equinox was last week. You know, the twenty four hours where the night and the day are totally equal. I like recognizing and noting the Earth’s rotations. So much of our busy 21st century life is speeded up and we seem to have forgotten that we are part of this Earth, not separate … Read more
Last week I had my last weight lifting session with the personal trainer I hired back in June, Erin Reding. I mentioned her in a blog post in July. Erin had me design our last workout together. Brilliant teaching strategy!! Put the student in the leadership role. I designed the workout on Tuesday evening, did … Read more
“Compassion involves the recognition and clear seeing of suffering. It also involves feelings of kindness for people who are suffering, so that the desire to help – to ameliorate suffering – emerges. Finally, compassion involves recognizing our shared human condition, flawed and fragile as it is. Self-compassion, by definition, involves the same qualities. Self-compassion involves … Read more
I’ve been a regular goer to the Midtown Farmers Market for more than six years now. End of summer is simply glorious, because, despite the terrible drought we are experiencing here in Minnesota, the smells and colors at the Farmers Market have exploded with deliciousness. I mentioned in my post last week, Pandemic 2.0, that … Read more
I don’t have a high amount of fear most days of my life. What about you? Can you recognize when fear hits you? As a result of working hard to recognize my emotions as they move through my body, I’ve become more aware when fear grips me. Fear gripped me tight on Sunday, August 8th … Read more
Climate change is happening. Sometimes it’s difficult to believe a thing if you haven’t personally experienced it. For those of us who are middle class, average folks, perhaps even part of the privileged class, the idea of climate change is more compelling than the reality of climate change. I’m embarrassed to admit but that’s how … Read more
The two most important things in my life these days are writing and athletics. As many of us have a tendency and a desire to do, I enjoy discovering what two things have in common. Read on and discover the intersection between writing and endurance athletics. My main race this summer turned out to be … Read more
Over the past month or so, I’ve noticed an increase in my confidence. I was reflecting on why that is and what came to mind is how good I feel in my body. I’ve lost 17 pounds so far and my blood sugar is more in range than it was a year ago. I’ve been … Read more
My wise therapist reminded me that I’ve been doing at least a triathlon worth of trauma healing the past few months. You see, I was profoundly activated by a recent series of events in my life. Trauma to the surface is a workout The activation resulted in old, so-far-unhealed pain and trauma rising to the … Read more