The general topsy-turvy feeling that has been the state of our world for the past 6 months seems to be magnified by this succession of grey, rainy days we’ve had in the Midwest. Even the way we are experiencing stress has shifted. Prior to this worldwide pandemic, our burnout was from going 100mph all the time, rushing from this thing to that. So initially, the stay-at-home slowdown was a healing salve for our open energetic wound. Now, it seems that the perpetual work-from-home situation (no doubt intensified by many of our kids learning virtually) has tipped our stress scales out Keep reading…
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Are You a Potato or An Egg?
So…have you lost your shit lately? …I mean, not that I have… …certainly not… …I’m a yoga teacher. Cool as a cucumber at all times… (How well does sarcasm come through in blogging?) *grin* You guys. I was legitimately driving to teach yoga last night, yelling at people like a crazy person from the inside of my car. …Are you sure you want the wool lifted from your eyes? The following story illustrates one of the many ways I am actually just an average human being… The kids and I got back from gymnastics just before 6pm; Mike had started Keep reading…
Choosing What’s Important
The other day, Hayes (3yrs) wanted to help with the dishes. !!!!!!!!! Amazing, right?! I was thrilled at the opportunity to engage him in being helpful around the house. As I showed him a cup, I said, “Cups go on top; right here. See?” I grabbed another cup, intending to hand it to him to place in the top rack…but he was already busy, exclaiming, “No, cups go on the bottom!” and his little hands were hard at work, taking cups from their [correct] place and putting them on the bottom. Did I mention they were also right-side up? ::cue Keep reading…
Meditation: Training the Monkey
Sometimes, we refer to my son as “Monkey.” He can be wild and unpredictable and swings from tree branches (OK, one of those may be embellished…). He is 2 1/2 and more energetic than I ever imagined him to be. This week, we started a Parent-Tot sports class. One of the activities was for the kids to hold a football and weave in and out of these little cones as they ran. The first time, I guided him through the first few and then he just sprinted straight over them because #finishline. The second time, I tried holding his shoulders Keep reading…
Sledding
Right now, I’m watching my daughter and her friend sled down the hill in the back yard. Actually, ‘sled’ doesn’t really cover it. Gleeful, joyful, squealing, laughing, blissful, open-hearted, entirely focused on the present moment…sledding. That’s better. Yesterday, we met friends at a park because it was 50 degrees. Today brought a quick-moving snow storm. It would be easy to complain about the drastic change in weather. It would be easy to think back on yesterday and wish (rather unproductively) that today were more like yesterday. But instead, my awesome little teacher/daughter is living purely for the moment. What if… Keep reading…
The Embrace and Release of Moments
Have you ever had an experience where – as it’s happening – you find yourself trying to cling to it, already worried about it being over? I have become more aware of my tendency to do this in recent years. When I embark on a trip, I always find myself noting how I feel at that moment and wondering how I’ll feel when it’s all over. (Debbie Downer, much?? I know. I’m working on it.) On our recent family vacation, I was flooded with happiness and joy pretty much all day, every day (save the lost luggage, toddler tantrums, sand Keep reading…
Time IN
I am a planner. I enjoy to-do lists and researching options. Sometimes, though, my lists can feel overwhelming. Life can feel overwhelming. And I’ve found my first response is to want to check-out from the discomfort. This tends to come in the form of chocolate, a TV show, a good book, listening to music, etc. Distractions. I find that I focus most of my day externally – taking kids to school, preparing meals, teaching, cleaning…to-do-ing. The problem is, when I take a time-out from it all, even my time-out is external! Is that [handful of] Hershey’s kisses temporarily satisfying? Um, Keep reading…
Vulnerability and Cleaning House
What do vulnerability and cleaning my house have to do with each other, you might ask… Oh man. More than you’d expect. Let me elaborate. I have been working on stretching the limits of my comfort zone lately. It’s exhilarating but also freakin’ terrifying. Today, I marinated in the outskirts of that zone for a fair amount of time — in front of other people, even! — and I am hilariously both having an authentic reaction and observing my reactions with interest. After my out-of-zone experience, I immediately found myself feeling vulnerable; I felt nervous that I wasn’t perfect (a Keep reading…
Glennon Doyle
Have you ever been in the presence of someone who made you feel like it was completely safe and totally encouraged to be your truest, deepest self? Who makes you feel like you don’t have to mask whatever emotions you’re experiencing because they are to be honored as a part of your authentic experience? This was my evening with Glennon Doyle last night. She came to Kansas City and welcomed us all into one of the “Family Meetings” that she is known for within her cyber world community. What moved me most was that she didn’t come deliver some rehearsed Keep reading…
The Ol’ Sunscreen in the Eye
Has it ever happened to you? You do your part and lather on the SPF…only to sweat later and **BAM** you’re squinting through a stinging eye. And it seems to last FOR-EV-ER (please say you heard Squints say this from The Sandlot). Mike – my awesomely crazy husband – ran a relay race last weekend. For 24 hours, each team of runners takes turns running anywhere from three to nine miles. Awesome. But crazy. And I can only imagine how smelly their team vans must be… On one of his legs of the race, he experienced the dreaded sunscreen-in-your-eye-sting. For three Keep reading…