If belonging is about my emotional connections to people, then abode is about my emotional connections to places. With the way I’ve moved around since the day I was conceived in Tangiers, Morocco, born in Brussels, Belgium, lived significant chunks of time throughout three continents, and dual- citizen of the Netherlands and Canada, it would be easy for me (or you) to conclude that I’m not...
My friend Joan initiated an “experience” in her Facebook group Conflict Navigator Network yesterday (Christmas Eve) and I’m inspired to play along. At least the first day’s prompt resonates with me, so let’s see where this goes. She calls it The Eight Days of New Year’s BALANCE Experience. As I understood her intro video, she will provide prompts, which when reflected on will...
Suffering is a lonely affair. No amount of sympathy, empathy, or compassion can make another feel what you, I, or anyone suffers. Even when they’ve been through something similar. We’re in it alone. But that is likely true not only when we feel pain—physical, emotional, mental—but also when we experience positive emotions like joy, peace, or contentment. We’re in it alone. Yesterday ranks as my...
If today was any indication, I may be starting to lose my natural patience. As a down-to-earth Taurus, it usually takes quite a bit before I see even a light shade of red. Now, let it be known that it’s possible my testiness today was activated by any number of things. Rising at 7:30 am could be the basic culprit. Not getting enough good sleep probably gave me the physical trigger for my...
In quite a few stages or chapters of my life, I adopted what I’ve dubbed mantras to remind myself to keep laser-focused on my ethics, objectives, and goals at the time. For instance, while we were building a service network for working migrants in Moldova, my team often heard me say, “learning by doing.” That was an invitation to all of us to innovate, to experiment, and to make...
Small shifts in outlook can make a big difference. And how logic saved my day. When you consider yourself valuable you will take care of yourself in all ways that are necessary.M Scott Peck My oncologist met me in the cancer clinic hallway as I was being led to my little infusion room on Wednesday (…finally, after I’d been made to wait for an hour and a half). “Oh, I was just about to come...
A single mosquito chased me out of bed today. I’m halfway through the Tuesday scheduled chemo treatments and I’ve noticed a pattern emerging: I feel the effects of the infusions in my entire body the strongest on Fridays and Saturdays. Two days of feeling like a bag of crap… a low-level neck-ache ramps up to a medium-level headache that grabs my eyeballs and disrupts my sense of self. A burning...
I’m going to cheat in my journal today and use someone else’s writing to illustrate a principle I truly believe in: with our small acts of kindness we can be a light in the world… and this light will shine way beyond our own small world. When the world feels cold and dark and lonely, take heart: Anybody can make their corner of it brighter.Elizabeth Gilbert This touching short story below to...