A Year of Firsts

Rediscovering magic in the everyday.

mental health

  • Collecting a Pile of Stuff

    I have meandered back and forth from my original intention here – which was to document the new things I do this year.  One thing I was interested in was planning some kind of event, and doing something fundraiser-y that wasn’t my job. For those who don’t know, I have been a non-profit fundraiser for… Read more

  • Spring Check-in: Four months

    In February, I posted a two month check in so I decided to try that again. It was a nice mile marker for me. I used to really love doing my annual review at work. Not necessarily for the accolades, but I always enjoyed the exercise of reviewing my goals, writing down what I had… Read more

  • Heavenly Birthday

    This Sunday, during Easter celebrations, my Dad will celebrate his first heavenly birthday, turning 77 on the other side.  Fitting in a lot of ways – he passed on Christmas Eve, the day before the holiday of birth, and his birthday is on Easter, the holiday celebrating death and resurrection. He was a lefty, so… Read more

  • A Legacy of Just for Fun

    This morning I was getting River ready for the bus, doing a few items on my own to-do list, and mentioned I was thinking about what to write today. River knows I love writing, and that I do it all the time, and she is aware of the blog, but hasn’t read it.  Without missing… Read more

  • Garden Walk

    Whenever my mother-in-law would come to visit us, she would hug the people, go to the bathroom, get a glass of water (which would still be half full when she left), and then, “How about a garden walk?” It was always in that order of priority. And always, without fail, at every visit, the plants… Read more

  • Threads

    I have been thinking very literally about the fabric of society, and what it means to be a part of that. Being a thread in a piece of fabric, after all, is not a very glamorous endeavor. It requires only to wrap yourself around many other threads, who are in most ways the same as… Read more

  • Deep Thoughts

    I hope you got to enjoy the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary specials this weekend. I have always loved that show. In honor of that milestone, here’s a meditation on my week in the style of “Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey.” …They say the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach. Unless you… Read more

  • The Waves

    Yesterday I was in a yoga nidra class. Not a life first for me, but a first in a long time as I haven’t gone to any in person yoga classes in years. As part of the class, the teacher led us through a guided meditation at a beach, where the waves were rolling in… Read more

  • This last decade of january

    What is that little saying people always share with new parents? Something like, “the days are long, but the years are short, and nearly all of it is January.” While this month has lasted almost forever, I have delighted in the tiny niche of art around January’s never ending quality and been glad that everyone… Read more