Prompt #24: Surprises With Aging — Aging is such a roller coaster ride, yes? And it brings all kinds of gifts and surprises. Some fun, some funny. Some not so much. I look down at a body that I don’t really recognize. Things aren’t where I remember them being. Things don’t look like they do in…

Some feelings become even more exquisite as time passes Aging is at times seen and referred to as a diminishing of things. Yes, some things diminish. Changes happen. Losses happen. Bodies change. Things can drop, spread and sag, I joke. It’s true. And we can laugh about it. …

The scary space between getting a medical test and being given the results I got a CT scan of my lungs yesterday morning. The technicians were so kind and helped make the experience as pleasant as possible. I appreciate that, especially in moments of vulnerability. Kindness goes a long way. …

Allowing ourselves and others the time to vent before leaping into gratitude — I have had several interesting challenges lately. Living in northern California, we have recently had floods, mudslides, falling trees, high winds, huge sinkholes, and more. My particular experiences lately have been with several falling trees near or on my property. First of all, let me say that I am tremendously…

Learning to appreciate the gifts of what didn’t happen I woke up at 3am to the sound of something crashing down. Not good, I thought. I got up and looked outside to see what might have happened. We are getting a lot of rain here in northern California right now…

Feeling connected, even in solitude I spent much of this past holiday season alone, intentionally. A time to reflect, to go inside, to simply be and to be in gratitude. To feel gratitude for my life. Especially since having had a couple of recent reminders of how fragile life can…

It’s time to write to Santa again, after all these years Dear Santa, It’s been many years since you heard from me, I know. I didn’t forget you. I got older and got absorbed by life and its duties, its chores, and its ups and downs. I left you to…

Acknowledging our feelings to be able to move through them and beyond — This weekend was tough. I hesitate to even write about it, as it can be easy for me to invalidate my own experiences and feelings when I compare them to what others are suffering in this world. There is so much trauma and destruction and deep wounding in this world. …

Overcome by compassion for the suffering of others I watched the news yesterday, and I cannot get an image out of my head. There was a very brief segment about the pope. …