For the New Year, or any time you need a shift Gather Paper Something to write with Flame (candle/fireplace or fire-pit) Fire proof receptacle Any ambience supports (I like scented candles about + clementines for something sweet) A buddy or few to bear witness (Or not. Some moments are private) Release Spend a few minutes (set a timer if it helps) listing what you are releasing at this time. Ex: I release: other people’s expectations, guilt, online splurge shopping, etc. One

Movement helps the to-do list get done. Lacking the motivation to do anything - even the things you're generally excited to do? Me, too. I think of this phenomenon as a small type of anxiety: the notgonnastart varietal. In my mind it looks like all the things I'd planned for my day - the activities and tasks that I know if I just engage I'll find them rewarding - they are all visible, but beyond my grasp. Some measure of satisfaction and delight are on the other side of a thi

I've been thinking about the importance of honoring transitions lately. Particularly the transitions between one activity or task in my day and the next. Pre-covid, I had physical transitions: the commute from home to work and back being a huge one. Now, with my day all happening at home, I am missing these natural transitions. Transitioning mindfully helps me honor and maintain the boundaries between work, home, training, scholarship, arts practices, and social life. I work

It's been a few weeks. I can usually write myself out of a situation and just keep it moving. Not in pandemic times. The past few weeks brought me growth, in-person exchanges that challenged and threw me for good and not-so-good loops, and a much-needed break in the form of visiting grandparents who live at the beach. But very little writing. The past few weeks I've witnessed parents struggling to know and do what is best for their children as the start of on-line school loom

I didn't count on the season of chaos. I made this handy graphic in 2018. (click image to enlarge). Full of optimism and hope, I thought I was on to something powerful. I was thinking about my Daily Joy - the handful of things that when I do them, my day is good... regardless of the shit-storm life may throw at me. I expanded that thinking to encompass the seasons. When was I productive? Creative? Reflective? Resting? Mapping my own patterns and cycles was helpful. I accepted

My grandmother, Evelyn Mayfield, called them “Kisses” or “Forgotten Cookies” 1 12oz bag of chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet) 3 egg whites 1 tsp of vanilla 1 cup of 1970’s style white granulated sugar (none of that boujee stuff) Preheat oven to 350 Beat the hell out of the egg whites + vanilla until they form peaks and stiffen. Slowly add in sugar, while you continue to show those egg whites who’s boss. Take your time. It should be thick and fluffy. Fold in chocolate chips. S

I hate running. I do. I hear people wax nostalgic about the “runner’s high” and running their first marathon. I’m happy for them, and they can keep it. Keep that joy of running and take a bath in it. I just don’t like it. Never have, and I doubt I ever will. But, I do it. I run. I don’t run fast and I don’t run far, but I run. Today, I ran in the rain. Running for me is like taking out the garbage in my brain. It’s therapy, not exercise. I have much more pleasurable ways to g

In this time of continued physical (social) distancing, it seems pertinent to circle back to other distances, like the distance between reaction and response. When I first started exploring increasing the distance between my reaction to circumstances and my response, I was startled at my "fail rate". I knew I wanted to cultivate more patience, more thoughtful, respectful action from myself, but the same knee-jerk behaviors kept pouring out. It's not enough to intend. We must

Stillness is a movement choice. I started writing this on October 1, 2019, and it speaks to me now as our country confronts systemic racism through daily protests demanding change; and, as individuals, we confront our ingrained, programmed racism. For many, there is a rush to action, to do, to make, to prove "I'm not a racist!" Welp. Check out this interview by Ari Shapiro that aired yesterday on NPR's All Things Considered. Shapiro interviews Robin DiAngelo, author of White

With your whole body. One of my gifts is listening. Strangers of all ages easily open up to me. I get along well with people from all walks of life. I enjoy people so much, even when they're being awful. Some of my earliest memories are people much older than I sharing very intimate (and often totally inappropriate) things with me. No, not like that, but asking me for marital advice, telling me their deepest needs, and burdens - that sort of thing. And when I have the good fo

Happy Baby Pose is just the thing. As I cycle with the various waves this storm lashes at me daily, I am reminded of two images I saw recently: The quote is from a poem by Damian Barr. Full text here This excerpt is a powerful reminder that we are all experiencing this pandemic, but with vastly differing levels of agency, security, and resources with which to cope. Some of us have children we are trying desperately to care for, educate, and comfort through this crisis. Others

The post below was originally written May 5, 2017. I knew I wanted to revisit it for this writing; I am shocked at how true the raw need to move and embody this moment was then and is now, though the circumstances are vastly different. After three years of using the method I describe below, I have landed on a slightly shifted order of things. You'll find my current method at the end. The past month of life as The Movement Movement was punctuated with juicy and wild moments of

Once, in a fleeting moment, a friend saw me struggling to release a person who had caused me great harm. I had removed that person...