- Awareness, Culture, Kids, Laugh, Love, Parenting, Play, Reflections, Relationships, Slideshow, Travel
Reflections :: Cultivating Kairos
Image courtesy of Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce My mother came from the east coast over the weekend for a short but full trip, and the next thing I knew? We spent the weekend drenched in kairos. We took the ferry to Catalina, and someplace offshore, in the middle of the bumping and rolling sea, living kicked in. Kairos, according to Wiki, is an ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment. To really understand it though, we need to consider the idea of kairos next to an idea or word that describes the way we are used to experiencing life. This word is chronos, which means time. Chronos,…
-
Reflections :: Vulnerability
Image courtesy of Flickr A favorite part of returning to school again, for me, has been the deep and connected conversations with fellow students. They are significant of the bonds we are growing, of our commitment to being seen and seeing one another as the individuals we are. It’s as educational an experience as the classes themselves. There is something about being surrounded by groups of people, whatever the size, that hold and reflect the value and meaning of what is important to you, as well as challenge you to consider just what that means. Particularly in that I am in the situation of pursuing a second career,…
-
Breath, and the Wisdom of the Body
Image courtesy of Flickr If I had a timeline labeled “From Then Til Now” set out in front of me, I imagine from that perspective I’d see one of the most significant turns in my life was the year I lived with Jasmine. An incredibly important thing happened that year, which I realize is credit to her. It was a decade and a half ago and I had a sciatic injury that pained me to the point of anger. Because I was finishing up my undergrad, I sat a lot–both in class and writing papers for my creative writing degree. The muscle in my leg would lock and squeeze the…
-
Relationships :: Let’s Talk Love.
Image courtesy of Flickr This is a good week to talk about being in love. Romance is only one of several aspects of intimacy. If the loss of romance has become a primary focus in a relationship, it is likely decoying you away from what is actually present. Meaning, focusing in a narrow way on what is missing is a sure-fire way to not only condemn your connection, but to also kill whatever has replaced the romance. Love encompasses so very much, just not all at once. Romance may soften and give way to a reliability, a companionship that deepens intimacy through the little details. If one partner is…
-
Reflections :: Appreciation Day
I made up a brand new holiday last week. Throughout this coming year, I’ve decided I will celebrate “Appreciation Day” on the fifteenth of every month. It is the one day of the month that I am committed to “tending myself”, to treating myself with what we therapists call unconditional positive regard. It literally means unconditional love: gentle, present, self-affirming, non-judgmental love. It’s revolutionary, if you think about it. An entire day in a conscious attempt to truly accept and love yourself for no other reason than because you deserve appreciation. It turned out to be tougher than it sounds. In depth psychology there is a primary understanding of…
-
New Year’s Reflection: Your Soul and Ritual
Image courtesy of Flickr The year that I spent living on the coast of Oregon has come back to me in the last several days, and seems an appropriate reflection for the start of 2014. It was fall when I moved there, and near Christmastime when I met a wise woman at church whom I befriended simply because she happened to be there each time I went, seeking solace because I was so far away from home. She was twice my age, literally, and in January that year invited me to join her and a group of other women who fellowshipped together once a month. I was clearly a…
