This past weekend, I celebrated my birthday looking out over the Pacific Ocean as a Peregrine Falcon spots a tasty morsel of food and flies with absolute precision to nab it. The best part was that this bird landed on my gloved fist so I could take a good close look at its beauty. Fortunately, … Continue reading ‘Rapt’ Up in the Experience
Why I Love Betty White
People love to gossip. We say we don’t like it when people behave badly, but oh…do we LOVE to talk about it! Tabloids have made a fortune capitalizing on the love of celebrity gossip. The scandals, the drama, the all around bad behavior is a constant source of content for these publishers. But some celebrities … Continue reading Why I Love Betty White
Self-Care Sunday: Break your 2022 resolution yet?
Okay, that’s a bit cynical, but according to this article from Forbes, 80% of New Year's resolutions are broken by the beginning of February. The article then goes into a deeper dive into what I’ve been learning about SMART goals. This is a technique health coaches use to encourage their clients to make steps towards lifestyle … Continue reading Self-Care Sunday: Break your 2022 resolution yet?
Self-Care Sunday: Breathe
Fall semester is over! It’s been quite a ride trying to keep up with my studies while working part time, but I did it! Papers, presentations, exams, all a thing of the past. I’m enjoying learning how to be an Integrative Health Coach… but it’s a lot! Especially my human diseases class. Four exams worth … Continue reading Self-Care Sunday: Breathe
The Difference a Year Makes
There’s an old saying, ‘The days are long, but the years go fast.’ For me, this last year felt like three. An up and down rollercoaster of feelings and emotions that took me to some pretty deep lows. As therapy for dealing with the pandemic, lockdown, losing my job and other garbage that happened during … Continue reading The Difference a Year Makes
Set the Standard
Today I went to a local elementary school to help fill planter boxes that our outreach group built as a community project. The principal wanted us to construct the boxes, line them with plastic, and then fill them with dirt. The students will choose what plants go inside them and plant them as a project … Continue reading Set the Standard
Meals and Memories
For as long as I can remember, my dad talked about his favorite restaurant. A local Mexican restaurant he discovered when he was still a bachelor. Once he got married and moved out the neighborhood, we didn't go there very often. But whenever we did go back to this place called El Cholo, he'd ask … Continue reading Meals and Memories
Fall Semester, with a Life Lesson
Registered, check! Paid, check! Books, almost. Excited to be attending actual classroom time, check and double check! Almost all of my books! Still waiting for two more to arrive. Class has begun, and for this fall it's scheduled zoom classes. Which means I'll actually get to interact with my classmates this year. I was a … Continue reading Fall Semester, with a Life Lesson
Cast Your Worries
Life has very difficult moments, and reactions to these moments can be feelings of sadness, anger, regret, depression, etc. Then there's the worrying. Worrying about what will happen next. Will things get better or worse? I'm guilty of doing more than my fair share of worrying over such things. For this Self-Care Sunday, I would … Continue reading Cast Your Worries
Mental Health Benefits from Dogs
Beginning in 2004, August 26 became National Dog Day when animal behaviorist Colleen Paige wanted to bring attention to adopting dogs instead of purchasing from a breeder. She also founded numerous other pet holidays you can read about here. She chose August 26 because that was the day 10 year old Colleen and her family adopted … Continue reading Mental Health Benefits from Dogs