By training in...boredom, we train in accepting things as they are. This helps us wean ourselves from the habit of closing down into our soothing world of familiar, imputed meanings.Pema Chodron, Welcoming the Unwelcome I used to be terrified of being bored. As a teenager in high school who lived life at 90 miles an … Continue reading The journey to delighting in boredom
I have read a lot of good books lately - twenty so far in 2020. I recently finished The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas and I can say that I had a book hangover for a good couple days. I also read another fantasy book, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia … Continue reading We are who we’ve always been
I'm sure you've heard it said that 'no' is a complete sentence. Usually you're told this if you're not sure if you should or can do something and the person you're talking to wants to encourage you to put your foot down and say 'no'. I don't think our society is there yet, to hear … Continue reading Saying 'no' means saying more
As far as I know, the world is spinning at the same rate as it was only a week ago. A month ago. A year ago. But now, as of 5:42 AM on March 17, 2020, we're living in a much different world. And it's weird to think I could feel it coming. For several … Continue reading I could feel this coming.
Busyness is a form of people pleasing, and people pleasing is a coping strategy. If I can't feel good about myself from the inside, then I make sure to get as much external validation as possible. The more I say yes, the harder I work, the more validation I receive which, because of how I … Continue reading When ‘no’ means ‘yes’
As the plane circled Midway, I was fuming. Angry. Upset. And desperately wishing the pilot would turn us back to Baltimore. I looked out the window and my body told me that it remembered the intense, confusing, and raw grief I experienced several years ago when my grandpa died and I flew 'home' for the … Continue reading Out of grief, thankfulness
How are your New Year's goals and resolutions going? Did you make any? I haven't made them since probably around 2013 when I resolved to make the bed every day. I have to say, it's stuck and I still make the bed five out of seven days. Instead of resolutions, I try to stick with … Continue reading Just Say No, AKA the Year 2020
I'm beginning to think that sleeping in is overrated. Not only is there science to back this up (REM cycles and all that) but I feel so much more at ease in the mornings if I give myself more time to wake up, enjoy coffee, and read a bit. On days like today, I'm promised … Continue reading Time and space
I've learned a hell of a lot about myself in the past few months. Summer was a lovely time of watching sunrises, reading books (check out my Goodreads on the side bar), namely, getting back into fiction and even fantasy. I've been really connecting with who I am at my core. And also getting shit … Continue reading Self-actualization
School is out here in Maryland (finally) and consequently I've been able to do errands like grocery shopping and running to the post office during regular business hours. It's been glorious. And I know when late August rolls around I will whine and complain that now I don't have time for work because I just … Continue reading Unconditional ice cream
MPM 2.0: mercy unmasked 