In her book “Little Stories of Your Life-Find your voice, share your world and tell your story”, Laura Pashby blends photography with writing short stories. She encourages us to notice and write about moments, suggesting that “If we don’t see the value of tiny moments, we will miss the little stories.”

It was our last class in “Women Rowing North - Writing My Life Stories” this week. I’ll miss writing each week to a theme - it gave me purpose and helped me explore my life at a deeper level. And, I’m grateful for the opportunity to have been introduced to authors I might not have found myself.

The final theme was called “On the Brink of Everything”, a perfect way to wrap up this series of writing classes….

Maya Angelou said “I’m a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That’s me.”  (Watch here:  https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=248396640653105)

It’s easy to see other women as phenomenal – the confidence and self-acceptance they exude as they speak, enter a room, connect and communicate without bravado or fanfare.  They make being phenomenal look easy, “no big deal”, natural.

As I struggled to write about belonging this week images of my past flashed before me – images from when I was young and didn’t understand the intricacies of relationships but knew when I felt betrayed by someone’s words or actions, knew that it wasn’t always enough to know I could find home within. 

“Home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling.” ~ Cecilia Ahern

We were invited to write about “home” in our autobiographical writing class…

“I’ve lived in about 17 dwellings over my lifetime.  I felt “at home” in some of them, while others were clearly stopping points along the way, temporary shelters used to pause in but certainly not to stay. 

I’m so grateful to have been interviewed by Joan Perry and Erin Egan on The Heroine’s Journey Podcast. Joan is the author of “The Heroine’s Journey: The Art of Becoming the Heroine of Your Own Life”, a transformative memoir that tells her story of how she transformed and navigated the “messy” middle (not just one) to finding her voice, courage and strength.

This book is a roadmap for women…

How often have you felt yourself standing on the threshold of change?

Reverend Sara LaWall said:

“A [threshold is] a space to imagine a new way, and new self. Not moving or pushing but sitting and cultivating… [the goal] is to allow you space and time to reflect on your past, present, and future. To imagine a new beginning…”

As I sit quietly, journal open, ready to write, I realize that there are just a few days left in 2024. How are you feeling about this year and the prospect of leaving it behind us as we transition into another New Year?

I stepped off the scale this morning - I’m up just slightly but down overall this week. My sigh was not one of impatience at the number - I no longer worry about those - but because I felt in that moment the weight of time, that feeling of knowing that this process was going to take time, more time than I would like it to. I had to remind myself that things work better when my mind and body are aligned and I allow and trust that whatever time it’s going to take to release this extra weight is worth the daily, consistent action I’m now taking.

And yet, there’s this impatience lurking in the background.

Two of my favorite, most cherished friends left after a 5 day visit. Today my home is quiet, filled with memories I’ve made sure to write down so I won’t forget. There are a few things in life that are of true value - friendship is one of them.

I came across this birdhouse tree on a walk not long ago and couldn’t help but take this photo. Each individual birdhouse makes up the whole birdhouse tree - each little house is decorated, unique, with it’s own style even though the shapes and sizes are the same, except for the top birdhouse which appears to be a bit larger, as if guiding or guarding the tree itself.

For those who know me and have read my posts about using metaphors (“Allow” is one of them), you’ll know that part of my training as an EFT, Heartstream Process Practitioner and Tap and Write facilitator, is to use metaphors as a way to reach parts of us that aren’t easily accessed just by thinking. As I looked at this birdhouse tree…

The first line in the Introduction to The Pivot Year by Brianna Wiest, is

“I hope this is the year you change your life.”

“It is and I am”, I thought as I read it and realized that the last half of 2024 was the beginning of a pivotal year for me. I made a commitment to figure out how to lose and manage my weight in the next year and why that was important for me, and I stumbled onto what I now call Tap and Write and the Tap and Write Studio.

I’ve been posting videos on social media lately as a way to promote Tap and Write Circles. It’s been an interesting experiment for me because I’m not sure that enough people see or hear me to get to “know, like, and trust” me, let alone leap at the chance to Tap and Write.

I recently came away from a meeting with coaches who expressed frustration and concern about…

“The most recent prompt in the therapeutic and reflective writing class I’m taking invited us to use a metaphor to describe “When I am writing at my best I am like what?” I’d never stopped to consider what I’m like when I’m writing at my best, and in fact, I wasn’t even sure I had a best!

One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes…And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

I began my final journey to lose weight this year by working with a dietitian and then joining Glean on September 1st, 2024. I’m learning a lot…