Hope for the Orphan Spirit

Photo by Nate Greno on Unsplash

I had no choice about my status in life as an orphan. It is a physical reality; both of my parents were gone pre-adolescence. The physical/pragmatic condition of being orphaned is directly one of not having supervision, support or care – and this part of the condition was alleviated in my life through guardians, but the impact on the spirit is another matter – and one that is not generated only in through loss of parents. Please Continue Reading …

Supportive Relationships: Tag, you’re it!

Photo by Josue Michel on Unsplash

In my study of resilience I found 3 core themes: 1. Internal – sense of self-mastery and transcendent connection, 2. External – supportive relationships, and 3. Process – the practices, habits, etc. We ALL need supportive relationships, so how do we become the best we can be for others when they need us? Please Continue Reading …

Distractions can be Addictive

Photo by Pratik Gupta on Unsplash

I read this phrase (title) somewhere in the past year and it stuck with me.

I have generally thought of addictions as being distracting, not the other way around. There is an interesting principle revealed in the subtlety of difference – or maybe it is the same either way, but the shift made me think. In any event, here is what I found… Please Continue Reading …

Creative Expulsion

Restless. I find it to be a difficult state to exist in. It is not exactly anxiety, but it feels like a close cousin to it. I carries some of the same characteristic apprehension of future uncertainty, and it is not directly connected to a specific activity level. When it shows up, I am overdue to start writing.

 Please Continue Reading …

Cathartically Creative Composition #1

Photo by Michael Carruth on Unsplash

Sometimes I forget the truth I know.

On the foundation of intentional design, I KNOW that I have been created by love, in love, for love. I know that I am sustained with each heartbeat and every single breath – especially the laboured ones mid-hill on my road bike, when I pushed everything to the max.  Please Continue Reading …

A Word for the Coming Year: Joy

 

I sat down in the stillness of the early morning, today, December 31, 2020 to write a few reflections in my journal, and after partially completing my thoughts, I decided to bring them here to the blog – to share with you as peer reflection.

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Creative Resilience

I was interviewed recently as part of panel discussion on resilience. I found the discussion raw and honest and helpful – especially in light of the challenges that many are and/or will be facing in relation to current career path hiccups and the need for adaptability.

Its a 60-minute video, and worth the time – if you, or someone you know, is wrestling with resilience.  Please Continue Reading …

Holding on…to Words

(Photo by Surendran MP on Unsplash)

What is in power of a word; is it not simply a sound? Sounds are many and diverse. Some sounds need to be blocked out as they can damage our hearing – like the rhythmic pounding of a riveter in a ship-building yard. Some sounds need to be blocked out because they can create damage to our mental and spiritual health, like the sounds hurled at us by the schoolyard bully. Others give life and lift the human spirit, like the chickadee on a mild winter morning at sunrise, or the first song of the Robin in spring.

 

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Someone Paid the Piper: but the tune is dissonant

We have all been touched by anxiety in some way. It is either in us, or someone in our family, or possibly a close friend or coworker — whether we realize it or not. If you have ever experienced anxiety, you know its a bugger! In my direct experience with it, I find that it often sneaks up on us while we are unaware. It seems to come more from the subconscious than the conscious, and it is not always logically grounded in anything.

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Snow in Summer: Dissonance & Grace

The longer this COVID season drags on, the more people tell me that they feel tired. Tired of adapting, tired of the steady diet of fear served through the media, and tired of the impatience of others. They often go on to state that they are concerned that their character is shifting; that they have a reduced capacity to engage life; that they are afraid that they will say or do something out of their present condition that will have undesirable and long lasting consequence.

 Please Continue Reading …