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Our helpers, our harmers #30BrighterDays

    Last night I began Thanksgiving preparations. We will number 19 people tomorrow, and that means serious mashed potato poundage. I planned to have at the spuds alone for some deluded reason called habit, but I spontaneously enlisted my 13 year old to help me peel or chop–his choice. He grudgingly agreed, and I figured he’d peter out after one tater. It turned out he liked cutting the potatoes as a knife-wielding/geometry exercise.  The work passed quickly and enjoyably?!? Later my 10 year old surprised me by “calling the mashing” as in I CALL THE MASHING.… Read More »Our helpers, our harmers #30BrighterDays

    Just Greet Today #30BrighterDays

      I used to wear a necklace with the word “downstream” stamped onto a pendant to remind me to go with the flow, and stop fighting imaginary currents. I say imaginary currents because I waste a disproportionate amount of time worrying and stressing about the future, as opposed to the actualities of my life that merit intervention. Regardless of external or internal challenges, sometimes I can tell my brain to pull my legs up into my innertube and coast downstream on the lazy river of actual life happening on its own terms, and sometimes my legs… Read More »Just Greet Today #30BrighterDays

      Maybe tomorrow #30BrighterDays

        Last night all the sleep interventions failed me– the relaxation sounds, the deep breathing, the variations of heat and weight–even the as-needed prescription. I avoided a complete freak-out by watching old Annie Broadway audition videos while Husband slept beside me. Earbuds are a miracle. YouTube is a miracle. Watching kids get a casting call from Broadway is a miracle. However, if you’re thinking that 5-11 year-olds belting Hard Knock Life doesn’t portend a sleep miracle, you are correct. When a person reaches insomnia level orphan choreography, all sleep hygiene bets are off. Maybe I got… Read More »Maybe tomorrow #30BrighterDays

        Flip Your Puzzle Piece #30BrighterDays

          In graduate school,  Mary Jo Barrett introduced me to the concept of vulnerability and resilience as two sides of the same puzzle piece. I almost went digging through boxes in the basement to see if I could locate the actual worksheet, but you and I both know that after 90 minutes of excavation I’d be sitting in a sad pile of empty CD cases, old VHS tapes, and kindergarten hand print art (sniff). To sum it up, if you make a list of all your own least favorite traits– we’ll call those your vulnerabilities– that same… Read More »Flip Your Puzzle Piece #30BrighterDays

          I haz no coffee but I can haz cans #30BrighterDays

            In a few hours I’m scheduled for a minor out-patient medical thing. What that means for this morning is no coffee, no yogurt fruit and granola, no water. Did I mention no coffee? Oh and I am afforded one–exactly one–pee. However, it also means I slept in while my eight-grader got himself up and out of the house, I have a little time to write, and I do get to brush my teeth! Let your cans meet your can’ts today. This post is part of #30BrighterDays; a thing I made up to brighten each day… Read More »I haz no coffee but I can haz cans #30BrighterDays

            Our sunshine, our scourge, our Toby tuxedo cat #30BrighterDays

              It’s been introspection central around here, so today I shall brighten your day or possibly terrify you with our cat. Oh my, our cat. Toby Toblerone (not #sponsored) Tobias aka… Señor: Our sunshine, our scourge. We raised a pair of cats from 6 months to 15 years without ever experiencing any one–not to mention ALL– of the following: Toby climbs screen door, hangs, shows off his tuxedo. Toby jumps on counter, steals entire piece of pizza, leads family on pizza chase–full pizza slice dangling from crust in mouth, several times around open floor plan. Toby rockets four… Read More »Our sunshine, our scourge, our Toby tuxedo cat #30BrighterDays

              Practice makes possible #30BrighterDays

                Yesterday I texted my friend Vikki to tell her the power #30BrighterDays has had on my outlook. I feel centered, lighter, and more inspired since I dedicated November to writing and posting daily. I feel more like myself. The accountability of both writing and hitting publish is doubly-effective for me right now as an anti-perfectionism practice. Knowing you’re out there reading this and hearing back from some of you when I resonate–it creates a transaction, a flow. I approached #30BrighterDays with the intention of this practice brightening my day as well as yours. I know… Read More »Practice makes possible #30BrighterDays

                Is it always “or”? Is it never “and”? #30BrighterDays

                  I spent my childhood and young adulthood consumed with musicals. Luckily for me, my crush on the theater plus years of voice lessons culminated in many superb opportunities to play amazing roles. In my twenties, I gladly left my first love, the stage, for the workaday/live-in boyfriend night life. I tried on different professional hats, and eventually landed my dream role at age 29: new mom. Still, I left a piece of myself on that musical theater stage. It swells in my chest and chokes me with feeling every time I sit in a Broadway… Read More »Is it always “or”? Is it never “and”? #30BrighterDays

                  More Layers Than Sides #30BrighterDays

                    My friend Taya once responded to a conflict in which she was asked to choose a side “There are more layers than sides.” I loved her nuanced thinking, not only as a push back again unnecessary alliances, but also as a way of acknowledging that oftentimes no one person can see the full picture. Taya’s layers can also prove helpful to extrapolate when it comes to decision-making. When called to choose a path, it’s so easy for me to fall into black and white thinking, and the illusion of right and wrong choices. I say… Read More »More Layers Than Sides #30BrighterDays