intention
What Are You Waiting For?
I chose to go on a 5 Day Silent Retreat because I was curious, craving quiet time and space, and had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into! It was more amazing and difficult than I could have possibly imagined, and the silence was the least of it. The real challenge was being…
Keep Reading...7 Acts of Loving-Kindness
I chose compassion, an intention from Your Mindful Year for my personal theme last month, knowing I would be challenged with a full traveling schedule. Compassion is practicing loving-kindness toward ourselves and others. Because what we focus on expands, while my intention was to treat myself kindly, I was unexpectedly showered with loving kindness from…
Keep Reading...What Frustrates You?
In celebration of our ninth anniversary, Neil and I decided to attend a weekend workshop for couples to enrich our relationship. Actually, I caught Neil at a weak moment when he agreed to go and said later, “I can’t wait to talk about my feelings for 2 ½ days”. The workshop was led by Ben…
Keep Reading...What Are You Pretending Not to Know?
I consider myself an intuitive, right-brained, big picture person, not so great at details, who has a handle on things, mostly. Last month I had the opportunity to experience three different situations where I was pretending not to know. Maybe these will help if you are pretending too. In reviewing our finances, (my f-word) I…
Keep Reading...Take a Mindfulness Challenge and a Vacation!
When I lived in Estes Park a few years ago, a beautiful mountain resort town in Colorado, it felt like everyone I came in contact with was on vacation. And with 100,000 summer visitors compared to 10,000 year-round residents, they usually were! But even living in Denver now, it can still feel that way. I…
Keep Reading...Breathing Space to Lead
I was honored to be a part of the VHAtv Nursing Leadership Series a couple of months ago to discuss how mindfulness can help us be better leaders. As it turns out, the traits that contribute to excellence in leadership are the same qualities cultivated with mindfulness. They include: – Presence – Focus and creating…
Keep Reading...How Will You Begin?
January is my favorite month because there is something powerful and magical about being able to begin again. Not necessarily start over, but meet ourselves where we are, with an openness and curiosity, full of promise and potential. This is beginner’s mind in action, looking at things as the beginning and experiencing them as fresh…
Keep Reading...How to Let Go of the Pony
Many years ago a friend of mine told me the reason the holidays can be so difficult for many of us is because we are waiting for the pony. I struggled with the holidays for years, starting in September and through to January. I would agonize before, in anticipation of my angst, suffer during and…
Keep Reading...The Compassion to Care
Last month I had one of the highlights of my speaking career by opening the Emergency Nurses Association Conference in Indianapolis for 2500 nurses. I felt I had really come home, not only because I worked as an emergency room nurse for 23 years, but because I also grew up in Indianapolis. In contrast, we…
Keep Reading...Getting to YES
The sign on the wall, “If you don’t puke, faint, or die, keep going” was a tad concerning as I walked into a cycling class called HELLth. The initial reason I said YES to this 6am class was because the new owner of my yoga studio in Park Hill, (who owns five fitness facilities in…
Keep Reading...