No more backward glances
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Yesterday, I *finally* took my 2020 Goals off of the wall. My business coach had suggested putting them there, in my line of sight, so I could measure my progress. A good idea. Until COVID-19.
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Work, Life, and Unfinished Grief: 9 years and counting
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The first days of February were erratic, veering from sixty-degree-sunny skies to persistent, freezing rain.
There is something fitting to the unpredictable weather. On February 15, Mercy Joan (my daughter) would have been nine years old. Our family steps into another year without her.
Read MoreMental Health: 2020 Healthcare Trend
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Mental health matters in your workplace. It is one of the most important factors identified in Springbuk’s Employee Health Trends 2020 Report. Nearly 1 in 5 employees have a mental health condition.
Mental health issues take a toll on productivity and presence…and they are expensive. Claims for medical and prescriptions are more than twice what it costs for those without a mental health condition.
Read MoreKobe Bryant, Grief, and Community
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News outlets and social media feeds are full of pain today over the tragic loss of Kobe Bryant and the eight others who died yesterday morning. We are signaling our pain, our awareness of loss, through quotes and photos.
Read MoreWhat The Great British Baking Show taught me about empathy
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The Great British Baking Show offered a tremendous lesson in the power of empathy in the final episode.
Read MoreEmpathy found me at Starbucks
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An encounter with empathy and great customer service to close out my workday...
Read MoreThe power of listening
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Attentive listening is powerful…and difficult. Whether you are a manager, a parent, a co-worker, or just a human being, an important first step to helping someone in pain is to pause, pay attention, and listen.
Read MoreDon't ask this question...
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Infertility and miscarriage are an unfortunately common and often private pain…and asking this question can cause great discomfort in social interactions.
Read MoreFive ways to support someone during painful anniversaries
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Today, I want to offer five reflections on gestures that have been meaningful in this intermediate stage of grief, when the immediate pain of loss has changed into the longer journey with coping.
Read MoreAnniversaries are Difficult
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How do you mark difficult anniversaries? The days feel unwieldy and hard to manage. We’ve tried a number of different things, but even after all these years, I never really know what I want on these complicated days.
Read MoreYou will not stretch
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Today, I share a slideshow of Mercy Joan and reflections on the eve of her birthday:
Perhaps you too have been reduced, laid bare by life. If so, I hope you have space to embrace the complexity, to release yourself to these days that are joyful and troubling and true.
Read MoreAnger and indecision
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Anger is part of the complicated landscape of pain. I explore anger, indecision, and my explosive encounter with an unyielding librarian in today’s blog post.
Read MoreThe physical toll of grief
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Early grief is intensely physical…now, when I hear about the car crash or the divorce or the diagnosis, I put on my apron and bake a loaf of bread. I arrive with a chai tea latte or an offer of childcare. Especially when the sorrow is fresh, embodied care is immensely impactful. Offer a hug, clean a toilet, send a bar of chocolate. Words are important but incomplete.
Read MoreFebruary feels...unpredictable
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The tempestuous weather of February seems appropriate; it finds strange symmetry with my inner world. February is the month when my daughter, Mercy Joan, was born. February is the month that she died…and I find myself feeling as unpredictable as the weather.
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