12-21-25 At 10:03 am today, the sun shone directly on the Tropic of Capricorn marking the Winter Solstice and for us in the northern Hemisphere, the beginning of Winter. Each day after today, the days will be slightly longer. I struggle with the darkness at this time of year, so for me, the extra minutesContinue reading “Winter Solstice”
Tag Archives: self care
Snow Day!
December 5, 2025 The fluffy white boughs of the nandina outside my window bend and bounce as sparrows shift position, snuggling next to each other for warmth. The scarlet berries stand in contrast to the muted grays and browns of the late fall landscape. My cat Lily is entranced by the snow, the birds andContinue reading “Snow Day!”
Becoming a Mermaid
October 5, 2025 Grief is a bugger. Despite all my self-care and the routines, I have built to keep me going, last week I faltered. Meditation, journaling, yoga and prayer are necessary just to get out of the house each morning. At the end of the day, I have a less involved routine, but stillContinue reading “Becoming a Mermaid”
Time for a Little Restoration
July 14, 2025 As a career educator, I have lived for my summer breaks for over 30 years. Teaching is very demanding of my time and energy by itself and teaching while being a spouse, a parent and a homeowner has meant that I have always juggled many responsibilities. The 8 weeks I get offContinue reading “Time for a Little Restoration”
Reaching the Home Stretch
May 27,2025 It is the final week of the school year, and we just had traditional Memorial Day weekend festivities. There was a cookout with family and friends on Monday, a lovely visit with Andrew’s girlfriend Anna for the weekend, and I managed to get in day hike to a new place with Nick. TheContinue reading “Reaching the Home Stretch”
Isolation vs. Solitude
January 6, 2025 This weekend I attended a meeting in which the chairperson brought the topic of isolation vs. solitude. She opened with some research that she had done, shared her own thoughts and then threw the query out to the group to discuss. People in the group had a lot to share and IContinue reading “Isolation vs. Solitude”
Where are my feet?
December 30, 2024 Where are my feet? One of my favorite mindfulness techniques is to ask myself this simple question. My husband has heard this so many times from me in the past 15 years, that he quotes it back to me periodically. We both have dealt with an enormous amount of stress and griefContinue reading “Where are my feet?”
The Value of Retreats
November 10, 2024 This weekend I spent four days and three nights in Sandbridge, Virginia in a grand beach front house where the main agenda was writing in community. The retreat was a lovely balance of group writing sessions, constructive feedback from our instructor, shared meals prepared by an amazing chef and time to writeContinue reading “The Value of Retreats”
Groovin’ In the Garden
8/25/24 This week I had the amazing chance to go to an outdoor concert at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Good friends of ours invited Nick and me to join them in July, and it has been nice to know that a fun activity was scheduled, even with it being our first week with students, andContinue reading “Groovin’ In the Garden”
Coming Out of the Storm
July 11,2023 Getting to the beach this year was more challenging than I ever expected. I have come to Wrightsville Beach or the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a week almost every summer of my life. I am lucky that although I have never been wealthy, my family and I are both middle classContinue reading “Coming Out of the Storm”
Mindful Musings 