I hung up the dog leashes, went to the cupboard, chose a mug, added a touch of cream and filled it with hot brew. I try to squeeze a little reading in during the morning as I am often too tired to do it in the evening. So I grabbed a book, settled in, along … Continue reading Expectations: The Road to Burnout 201
For a few months I held tickets to see a favorite radio personality (see title for details). I watched the event day draw near on the calendar. All in all, the evening would be a win; engage an interesting topic, see friends, maybe have a glass of wine afterward. But by 4:00pm the day of … Continue reading I said “No” to Krista Tippett: Burnout 101
It has been said: you teach (or write) what you need to learn. This is certainly true for me. Growing up in an anxious family system, being peaceful, calm and centered does not come naturally and is not a constant state of being. In a sense, these weekly notes are reminders to my own stressed … Continue reading Stress or Burnout?
Do your habits fill up your resiliency bucket or do they create a drain hole in the bottom? My spouse and I have, very unsuccessfully, tried to “quit sugar” over the years. We attempt this significant feat and often finish with a feeling of failure. This long-term struggle has been an invitation to … Continue reading The Habit of Resiliency
Expectation: Blooming tulips, open windows and softball practice on greening grass. Reality: Single digit mornings, double digit snow shoveling and icy roads. This week’s unexpected weather has detoured us from our preferred path to warm temps and jolted us wide awake. My social media newsfeed is never more whiny than during a week like this. … Continue reading Spring Expectations and Snowy Realities
Getting swept away in the stress of the day, it is easy to forget to pause and ask our self, “Is there something I can do differently to make my day better?” Believing we have to “just deal with” whatever comes, the discomfort can grow as the day creeps along. Some days are an invitation … Continue reading An Easy “Fix”
Hidden since the first big snow storm of the season, only the bottom edge remained in view. Tucked under the windowed wall of the bus stop shelter and protected from the plow’s continuous dump of snow, gravel and downtown muck, it sat waiting, frozen in time and memorial, no doubt a remnant of an evening … Continue reading Winter Compassion, Spring Release
We had not seen each other in months. After a lovely breakfast and engaged “catching up” on life, coffee was refilled and empty plates swept away by attending servers. She looked me in the eye and asked a simply question, “Where is the peaceful Andrea I usually see?” Sigh. Busted. So much for being able … Continue reading Empty the Reservoir
Lovely spring birdsongs caught my attention; the Chickadee’s tic-tic, the Finch’s warble, the rat-a-tat-tat of the Downy Woodpecker. As I backed out of the drive, the dirt softly gave way with the heft of the car, gently splashing the doors, misting the windows. Another sign of spring: driveway flooding. Snow and ice pile up at … Continue reading Spring Thaw of Spirit
Leaving the house before dawn and returning after sunset has been my weekday pattern for the last several months. I miss experiencing the lovely mornings when the sun streams in over the eastern horizon, cascades through the sliding glass door and lands directly on all the animal fur on the floor. Many years ago I … Continue reading Invitation to Compassion
Andrea Tatley 