UNBECOMING

I have no desire to age gracefully. I plan to age wildly. I wrote the "On Aging" post about year ago. The message is still the same today. I have one more year to dance on the tail end of my thirties, but I plan to take my forties by storm! Seane Corn, celebrated yoga teacher and social activist, described her process of "Aging Wildly" when she turned fifty. I look at aging as a privilege, and as I get older I truly appreciate how short our time is in these bodies, and I don’

“How is your marriage?” She sat across from me, pen poised in hand, as she listened and studied my body language. My shoulders loosened. I felt myself melt into the cushions of the couch. The hum of the noise machine slowed my breathing. My jawline relaxed. “Aside from my kids, it is what I am most proud of in my life.” It was a casual “I thought you’d never ask” kind of response. This was a rare opportunity to talk about my marriage. I am unaccustomed to the presence of stra

There in that moment she sat as a nine year old girl filled with wonder and dreams, completely absorbed in the bounty of my leftover lunch.

Perhaps this new beginning comes with a toddlerhood of its own. Each new phase demands fresh-tilled soil to start anew with a tiny seed. In

It has been said that you are the sum of the three people you spend the most time with in your life. If this is true, we have to carefully c

Yes, I am older, weathered and scarred, but I am strong in a homegrown way that can only be earned. The resilience and personal strength I h

"It turns out, I am terrible at self-compassion. A few weeks ago I took a self-compassion quiz that was linked to the book I was readin

It is a painful process of unbecoming and learning everything we thought was a given - an unchanging truth - might not be set in stone. We d

“Are you the adult that you want your child to grow up to be?” - Dr. Brené Brown I just finished reading Brené Brown’s Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. I made several notes and tried to really reflect upon myself and where I am in my life. But then I arrived at the last chapter, which happens to be about parenting. It smacked me across the face. From the second I read the subheading, I started to mumble and g

This past week we were given a rare opportunity. Faculty members were offered two hours of professional development credit for attending a watercolor workshop. It was taught by a resident artist. He opened the presentation by explaining that painting with watercolor was a lot like a cat. You can tell it what to do, but it is going to do whatever it wants to do. What? Oh, HELL NO. How am I going to relax through a creative outlet that I CANNOT CONTROL? I have two children; I d