Ever since I was a pre-teen, people told me I was so much like my mother. I looked like her. I talked like her. I laughed like her. I was nice like her. I always greeted these comments with a mixture of pride as well as abashment. I was honored to resemble my mother, whom … Continue reading Being Your Own Person AND Your Mother’s Daughter
Tag: mindful living
Give the Gift of Presence
With the commercialized holidays of Hanukkah and Christmas coming up, it makes me wonder, "Why does it have to be so focused on the material?" Maybe this is my budget talking, but I prefer non-material presence. Ideas include: 10-minute massage30-minute heart-to-heart phone callAn hour of free childcare! These options save on money and clutter and, … Continue reading Give the Gift of Presence
A Photoshopped World, A Tormented Soul
This morning my mom made an innocent comment that the way my daughter was wearing her hair made her look like Audrey Hepburn. I felt uncomfortable with this, because growing up and to this day I struggle with social comparison, including with celebrities. I still remember learning in my late teens that magazines are photoshopped. … Continue reading A Photoshopped World, A Tormented Soul
A Mommy’s Tummy Ache is Different
This morning I had a stomach ache. My body tends to express stress in this way. And the past few weeks have been full of emotions—conscious and repressed ones—so my hurting tummy is no surprise. I had a tummy ache, but not only did I still have to go to work—as I'm used to as … Continue reading A Mommy’s Tummy Ache is Different
Wisdom Grows with Age, the Ageless Soul
I took a moment during my busy day working at the preschool and thought about how much I have grown. Gave myself credit for the work I have done in being more self-compassionate and less full of self-doubt and judgment. I still have a long way to go, but I have improved over the years. … Continue reading Wisdom Grows with Age, the Ageless Soul
Giving Thanks: My Software Gets an Upgrade
I started reading Conscious Discipline by Dr. Becky Bailey today. I have attended a seminar and read some of it, as directed by our preschool director, but this is the first time I am taking on reading the entire book. It is a journey that will help me develop my own executive skills, while helping … Continue reading Giving Thanks: My Software Gets an Upgrade
Georgia State of Mind: The Long Version of How We Got to Atlanta
This morning I woke up at 4 am. Since I went to bed at 8 pm (I am an exhausted mother of a toddler after all!) I felt well-rested. I was also jolted awake in part by a dream I had—an incidence that's been all too often this week. Well this dream wasn't a scary … Continue reading Georgia State of Mind: The Long Version of How We Got to Atlanta
The Secret to Peace of Mind: The Breath
Do you control your breath or does it control you? The answer is: both. Breath is a unique biological function in that it occurs involuntarily, but can be manipulated through conscious effort. As part of my decade-long pursuit of greater peace of mind, I have engaged in mindfulness meditation exercises focusing on the breath. This … Continue reading The Secret to Peace of Mind: The Breath
Being Present: Activating Your Right Brain
I recently had a conversation with a relative of mine about why some people try to finish other people's sentences when being told a story, while other people sit and listen and simply take in the story. This morning I had the following insight: A few years back I bought the book Drawing on the … Continue reading Being Present: Activating Your Right Brain
What is a Yogini?
For years I, like most others I know, have associated yoga with doing impressive yoga poses. But every time I strive for this goal, I get hurt. This is because, as a fellow health professional and I were recently discussing, yoga in the Western world focuses on the physical aspects of yoga while leaving out … Continue reading What is a Yogini?
Mindful Nuggets 