While on a hike recently, I came across a sign that said: 🚫 If you see a bear, don’t make eye contact (which the bear may perceive as a sign of aggression) Which was right next to another sign: 👀 If you see a mountain lion, DO make eye contact (which shows the lion that you are aware of its presence & not afraid) These signs made me feel a bit spooked, reminding me of the possibility of encountering these creatures. (Though, to my relief, a third sign in the vicinity stated that the last...
19 days ago • 2 min read
Every single day, our brains are processing countless pieces of input. Notifications from five different apps. The ping of incoming text messages The microwave timer going off. Emails piling up in your inbox. The physical pile of letters & bills on your desk. Phone calls & voicemails. The to-do list that keeps growing. 🧠 Due to the sheer amount of stimulation around us, it can be hard for our brains to discern what is actually urgent vs. what seems urgent but is not a true emergency. The...
26 days ago • 3 min read
There’s a book on my shelf that I’ve been reading for... what feels like forever. Every week or so, I’ll pick it up & read through another chapter. The content of the book is complex, so I can only process one chapter at a time. Then, my brain gets tired and needs a break. (The book, for the record, is called A Disability History of the United States, and it’s definitely not a “light read.”) My point is: the slow pace of reading a physical book - feeling the material in my hands, turning each...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Someone recently asked me, “What’s your favorite type of flower?” My answer: “Roses and unicorn baby’s breath.” Then, I spent the next minute trying to explain what unicorn baby’s breath flowers look like. 😅 The simplest description? They’re like rainbow-colored stars, except in flower form. Here’s what I mean👇🏽 These flowers seem to sparkle and smile when you look at them. They remind me that we don’t have to look far in order to find traces of magic on earth. Flowers are just as magical as...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
I sprained my ankle this weekend, tripping down the stairs… so my agenda since then has been to rest as much as possible. (Which works out great for my cats, who like me best when I’m a stationary object who can double as their couch.) As my ankle recovers, I’ve been reflecting on the healing process, and keep coming back to these core truths/reminders. 🍃 The first truth is that rest is a part of healing. Even when it seems like we’re not doing anything & nothing is happening, doing nothing...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Every day, as part of my sensory care routine, I like to brush my arms & legs with a skin brush. It exfoliates the skin, helps with circulation, and makes me feel more awake & connected to my body. When I engage in this soothing ritual, I think about how taking care of my nervous system is also a way to connect with my ancestors. After all, each of our nervous systems is an ancestral inheritance. The human meat-suit that you’re living in right now, didn’t just come from nowhere. Every cell in...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
One of my budding special interests is permaculture (pun intended 🌱), and a common saying in the permaculture world is as follows: The problem is the solution. or: The solution is inside of the problem. It reads like a riddle, but there’s so much truth & wisdom behind it. For example: the accumulation of waste on earth is a problem. A solution is to compost the waste so that it regenerates into a valuable resource. The problem (we don’t know what to do with all this waste 💩) guides us to the...
2 months ago • 3 min read
This article caught my attention (& my heart) recently: She invited her friends to come together to make her casket. In a nutshell: the article is about a woman who receives a terminal diagnosis, knows that she wants to make her own casket, and invites her friends to help her. They spend hours weaving a burial tray made of willow & pine, under the guidance of a basket weaver. It is a profound story of friendship, love, & mortality. Here’s what stood out to me (& the intentions they invite...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Every once in a while, I find myself revising my self-care plan. After all, our nervous systems change across time (as a result of healing work, new life experiences, changing seasons, and the increase or decrease of stressors in our lives)… and our usual self-care tools may not work in the same way as before. For example, songs that I used to play on an infinite loop to soothe my soul after a long day, don’t have quite the same impact as before – probably because I played them on an infinite...
3 months ago • 3 min read