I think about my body every day. Likely you do too—we live in our bodies, after all. If, like me, you’ve dealt with health challenges, you might think about your body critically or without much kindness. I’ve worked hard to build more compassion for my body. I don’t always succeed. But every small win, every … Read more
At almost 61, I’m still open to love — but I no longer wait for it to validate me. Here we are again, Valentine’s Day. I’m not a big holiday person, never have been. Likely because my childhood was complicated and difficult, and holidays usually left me feeling confused, left out, and disconnected — in … Read more
Health fluctuates. Energy fluctuates. Motivation fluctuates. That isn’t a flaw in the system — it is the system.
I wasn’t sure I’d live this long. Maybe, if like me you have a difficult chronic illness such as diabetes or cancer, it’s easy to imagine an early end-of-life. But here I am, essentially quite healthy, living with both type 1 diabetes AND my third round of breast cancer. Go figure! In a few weeks, … Read more
Great to be back with you all again. I needed to take a bit of an unplanned break from eNews and blogging. The holiday season was harder on me emotionally than in previous years. I did lots of good therapy and introspection to heal the wounds that made themselves evident this holiday time. Turns out, … Read more
Feeling my emotions deeply is a new behavior for me. I’ve been doing that quite a bit the past few weeks. Turns out, doing this was a good setup for the Breast Cancer Rest & Renew Image Reborn Foundation retreat I attended November 8 – 10, 2024 in Park City, Utah. With this third breast … Read more
Last summer when a group of us were at my friend Jenny’s cabin in Wisconsin, our friend Anne invited us to come to her family cabin in Allenspark, Colorado for a week. The cabin can not be found anywhere on the internet, and the name of the two buildings on the property are Luther Lodge … Read more
TRIGGER WARNING: I’m going to talk about topics that some may find uncomfortable. Namely, I’m going to discuss female genital health. Buckle your seat belts, things are about to get personal. I already tend to be personal in these blog posts, and along those lines I’m going to address an issue that has come up … Read more
Right before the pandemic, I attended a writing workshop with Jeff Goins called Tribe. It was in Nashville, Tennessee. I didn’t know anyone attending, but I wanted to attend because I really wanted to finish my book and I was searching for support for how to make that happen. I connected with a few amazing … Read more
In the middle of the night recently, I had a dark night of the soul. I spent a bit of time contemplating the end of my life. What that would/could look like.It was very dark and very sad. Lots of angst and tears. Thankfully, at 3am, I shifted and asked myself, “Mari, you’re not dead … Read more