tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9686680289219446192024-02-07T12:30:31.255-05:00Setting The Spirit FreeFinding Ways to Live Freely a Restricted LifeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.comBlogger230125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-9761771391000022812015-09-04T20:21:00.002-04:002015-09-04T20:21:59.056-04:00My memoir: Nowhere Else I Want to BeThings have changed since I last posted on this blog.
I have a new blog on my new website.
And I have launched my pre-order bid (for my memoir, see below*) on Inkshares, a hybrid of crowd-sourcing and traditional publisher. If I get 1,000 pre-orders, they will publish my memoir.
To read a chapter, learn more about the book and pre-order: click here.
*Nowhere Else I Want to Be is a memoir Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-7778961013683948882015-03-15T12:40:00.000-04:002015-03-19T16:21:18.234-04:00HiatusI haven't posted in over a month, so I thought I'd write a quick post of explanation. The fact is, I'm not sure where my blogging life is headed right now.
For one thing, I've started a new migraine treatment: botox injections. Thirty-one injections around the forehead, ears, neck and shoulders, every three months. I just had the second treatment a few days ago. The effect is cumulative, so if Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-85405964860917306982015-01-22T11:26:00.002-05:002015-01-22T11:26:48.800-05:00How One Woman Faces Her Fears -- Lung Leavin' Day 2015My blog has come to the attention of Cameron and Heather von St. James, whose cause is a cancer caused by asbestos: mesothelioma. Today's post supports their cause.
Heather von St James was diagnosed with pleural (lining of the lung) mesothelioma just after she gave birth to their daughter in 2005. She was given fifteen months to live. Among other treatments for the cancer, she had a lung Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-36273537586177704322015-01-19T14:44:00.001-05:002015-01-19T14:44:34.856-05:00The Power of DistractionI have read that studies show people with migraine have less pain after they
exercise. So far, I haven't noticed that the pain is less. However, I have noticed that while I'm on the treadmill or the bike or working with my personal trainer, I'm not thinking about the migraine. If I push too hard, I'll get dizzy or have throbbing pain that reminds me I have a headache. But while I'm concentratingAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-28305437197638816282015-01-16T11:48:00.000-05:002015-01-16T11:48:11.537-05:00What The Elderly Woman At the Y Said To MeToday I was able, for the first time since spilling the beans (post of January 1), to put real clothing on. Naturally, I went to the Y.
I saw a woman this morning I've seen many times before. I guess she's in her seventies, but she's in such good shape she could be ten years older and you'd never know. I admire the vigor of her workouts, the disciplined way she goes about her stretches. She Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-36409003068362639512015-01-13T11:39:00.002-05:002015-01-13T11:39:35.617-05:00Painful Poetry -- A Sonnet to PainPainful Poetry
Original if Awkward Attempts to Find Humor in Pain
A Sonnet to Pain (in the tradition of Shakespeare, more or less)
O! thou who fillst me daily overmuch
Photo by William Marsh
And of my life prov'st naught but hellish bane
Could I with craven visage find a crutch
wouldst I not forsake thee? Thy pure disdain
notwithstanding, I'd hie away and flee
thy fullsome clutch that harks Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-17282313766429142052015-01-10T11:35:00.001-05:002015-01-10T11:35:10.617-05:00What I'm Not Trying To Do, What I Must RememberI had a helpful conversation with friend and author David Hilfiker yesterday. It impels me to continue the theme of my last post - Desiring Peace Means Practicing Peace, in which I try to clarify my January 1 post about relinquishing inner peace to nothing and no one.
David reminded me that I have a diverse readership and that what seems obvious to me -- making the choice for inner peace -- can Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-79533587589375915862015-01-08T09:51:00.002-05:002015-01-08T09:51:20.054-05:00Desiring Peace Means Practicing PeaceIn case my most recent post sounded glib -- or at least short and without much explanation -- I want to write today about what needs to come after the decision to maintain inner peace.
I've used certain tools for long enough now that keeping or getting back to inner peace is a matter of taking a few deep breaths or removing myself from a situation for a while.
But there was a time when I very Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-39414213666398909172015-01-01T12:06:00.000-05:002015-01-01T12:06:30.053-05:00Holiday Strategies -- Boiling Beans, Burns and Inner PeaceI often say I write this blog mostly for myself. That it seems sometimes to help or encourage others is gratifying, but I need it as much as anyone.
Case in point: I got first- and second-degree burns when I spilled a pot of boiling beans a couple days ago. The burned area extends from just below my rib cage to my upper thigh on my right side. The wounds are messy and they hurt. I can't wear anyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-66143220230527168332014-12-28T16:50:00.000-05:002014-12-28T16:50:32.827-05:00Resource -- John Ratey's book about exercise and the brain
"Spark, The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain."
By John Ratey, MD.
I'm reading this book on the recommendation of a friend who is, at
forty-something, exercising vigorously for the first time in her adult
life. She's lost weight and seems lighter, somehow, and freer. A perfect testimonial for the book.
I'm only about half-way through, but find the mix of biology, Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-69680427218464175002014-12-22T11:05:00.001-05:002014-12-22T11:05:43.239-05:00Holiday Strategies -- Inner PeaceI'm getting a migraine, so this post will be short and sweet.
The holidays bring with them a certain amount of chaos and confusion. It's easy to get drawn in, to lose one's inner peace struggling to do and be all that is expected: the perfect parent, daughter or family; the most fantastic gift; the best of everything.
Choosing inner peace over outward chaos is counter-cultural. Of all the many Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-45178568164478469632014-12-20T10:35:00.001-05:002014-12-20T10:35:06.961-05:00Holiday Strategies -- Saying NoI started to write this post on stamina earlier this week. I didn't have the stamina to finish it.
I had the physical stamina -- only one really bad migraine day that kept me from the computer. I've even been to the gym twice, although I've had to modify exercise time and type to accommodate migraines.
What I didn't have was the emotional stamina. I have never just popped off a post without Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-6160264495656341472014-12-14T10:02:00.000-05:002014-12-14T10:02:48.881-05:00Holiday Strategies -- All I needIn a previous post, I wrote about Stuffy Santa Claus magic.
I get stuck, sometimes, in wanting the holiday to be 'special,' although I'm not sure I could say exactly what that means. But it makes for a niggling feeling, a recurring sense that something's not quite right. Or I suddenly become aware that I'm upset over something ridiculous. Something that has nothing to do with what is here, now, Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-52549719683307274512014-12-12T10:50:00.000-05:002014-12-12T11:13:14.619-05:00Resources -- My Essay in the Chronicle of The American Chronic Pain AssociationHere's a link to the December 2014 Chronicle of The American Chronic Pain Association:
Chronicle
Click on "December 2014 Chronicle" to download the pdf.
My essay is on page 11, "Pain's Lessons Are Life Lessons."
And there's more:
* A series of articles about communication -- with your Health Care Providers and with your family and friends
* Review of the book, No It Is NOT In My Head by Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-54328109195115170902014-12-09T11:40:00.000-05:002014-12-09T11:43:28.040-05:00Holiday Strategies -- Stuffy Santa Claus Magic(Second in a series of posts about holiday spirit and life itself. For all of us living with chronic pain, mental health issues, grief, less-than-functional families, and other unjoyous realities.)
My mother tells me I wouldn't say what I wanted for Christmas the year I was three. When I finally asked for a gift other than the "canny and ba'gums" that comprised my entire list, they tore through Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-18248932513468738322014-12-08T10:19:00.001-05:002014-12-08T10:19:40.618-05:00Holiday StrategiesI've been having a rough time -- migraines have been bad and the occipital neuralgia is back after the final treatment 8 weeks ago -- and several people I love are struggling, too. But it's December. Part of me still believes I'm supposed to be and act happy for the holidays. I know I'm not the only one that can get stuck in that I'm-supposed-to-be-happy-but-I'm-not, yucky feeling.
I thought a Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-43598074548017562462014-11-19T08:27:00.002-05:002014-11-19T08:30:32.076-05:00Little Things Make A DifferenceWhen things are bad -- like last week, when I was in the midst of a series of bad migraines and people dear to me were struggling -- it's usually the little things that make the most difference.
Like having tiny bottles with a few flowers in each, scattered around the condo.
Photo by William Marsh
Like my sweet little dog.
Like a text message from a loved one, a hug we're not sure we Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-26409371403522352222014-11-16T10:11:00.002-05:002014-11-16T10:11:20.559-05:00Resource -- Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Super Anthletes and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen, by Christopher McDougallAs recent posts have indicated, I've joined the YMCA, signed up with a personal trainer, and established a routine of recumbent-bike workouts.
I'm not running. I'm not sure why this book -- Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Super Athletes and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen, by Christopher McDougall -- attracted me. But it did and I have been listening to it for the past few days.
PhotoAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-91576631284772830482014-11-09T12:31:00.002-05:002014-11-09T12:31:55.607-05:00Strength for the Journey -- The Pain / Benefit CompromiseI wrote a week ago about beginning a new exercise regime with a personal trainer at the nearby YMCA. Two days a week, I have a thirty-minute session with Veronica, during which we work on my goals of (1) back and core strength; (2) upper body strength; and (3) flexibility. And although whatever migraine pain I have that day is one or two degrees worse when the sessions are over, I am really Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-86439124035278822502014-11-01T17:19:00.002-04:002014-11-09T11:57:12.892-05:00Strength For The Journey -- Exercise RegimenWithin the past month, I have joined the YMCA down the street and signed up for eighteen 30-minute personal trainer sessions. I thought I might blog about the process of getting into better shape, how it affects my pain (chronic migraine mostly, but also degenerating discs in my spine) and what it all means for life and spirit and body and me.
I'll blog about the usual things as well, but will Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-43851030018161029922014-10-28T16:35:00.000-04:002014-10-28T16:35:15.470-04:00Shame Resilience Final PostWhat better way to wrap up a series of posts than to write about a personal experience that illustrates the main points? And even better if one hasn't planned it, if it just happens when one is out of control.
Photo by William Marsh
To recap a bit: I was diagnosed with occipital neuralgia this spring, and began treatments in August. At that time, I understood the doctor to say that the Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-55390743019313575562014-10-22T12:22:00.001-04:002014-10-22T12:22:08.287-04:00Shame Resilience -- Part 5This is part of a short series of posts on 'shame resilience.' The concept is Brene Brown's, and I'm simply making written ruminations on an interview published in Spirituality and Health.
To recap, I am recasting Brown's theory of shame resilience
into a process of sorts. Using her four characteristics of persons who
are shame resilient (found at the end of the interview), I proposed aAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-33869951926233153112014-10-18T09:43:00.001-04:002014-10-18T09:43:03.021-04:00Shame Resilience, Part 4This is part of a short series of posts on 'shame resilience.' The concept is Brene Brown's, and I'm simply making written ruminations on an interview published in Spirituality and Health.
To recap, I am recasting Brown's theory of shame resilience into a process of sorts. Using her four characteristics of persons who are shame resilient (found at the end of the interview), I proposed a Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-37275337075996931982014-10-16T12:05:00.000-04:002014-10-16T12:05:01.496-04:00Resources -- Meditation and PrayerIf I were more spiritual, I might have a never-fail meditation and prayer practice every single day. But I'm not, and I imagine there are a few others out there like me, so here are some resources of the sort I've used when getting quiet is difficult and finding spaciousness is beyond the capability of my restless mind.
Photo by William Marsh
A video (with music, spoken words and photos) Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968668028921944619.post-44451830824952332192014-10-14T12:21:00.001-04:002014-10-14T12:21:49.538-04:00Shame Resilience, Part 3This is part of a short series of posts on 'shame resilience.' The concept is Brene Brown's, and I'm simply making written ruminations on an interview published in Spirituality and Health.
At the end of my previous post, I said I'd write a bit about how I imagine shame resilience, meditation and awareness go together. I was using Brown's thoughts on the characteristics of people who are shame Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00316773327998836880noreply@blogger.com2