And just like that…the November challenge is done. And once again, I’m so glad I said yes! I said yes to writing in community…to writing with this wonderful group of people who genuinely care about each other. I feel so lucky to have found Ra Avis and her group of Cheerpepper bright lights! Writing is …
Month: November 2023
Disability -Day 29/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Disability means something different to everyone. For some, disability means “those people”. For me, disability means an ever-changing me….and it seems to be swallowing up more of me every year. As a child, disability meant that I didn’t walk well…that was the biggest thing. There was more but I chose to …
Another Day -Day 28/30
Photo by Dinah (c) I believe it was Maya Angelou, who said… This is a wonderful day! I haven’t seen this one before! Today was another day of Adulting… The doctor was seen. Paperwork was done… Possibly not on time. But that’s another story… My family member was contacted to be sure that all …
Surviving Winter -Day 27/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Much to my chagrin, it appears as though winter has arrived. This may be good news for some. But not for me. Winter has always been challenging for me…ALWAYS! Many people that live in tundra-adjacent climates like me, say that there is no bad weather. There’s only poor clothing choices. Of …
Silent Sunday-Day 26/30
Ralph Waldo Emerson said…..The earth laughs in flowers. Sharing some laughter from our garden…. I’m glad you’re here💜 This post is part of the November Nanopoblano challenge. A group of us committed to writing a blog post every day for the month of November. Please visit the blogs of my other Nanopoblano cheer pepper friends …
Flute Music-Day 25/30
Today has been a good day, a busy day…and I’m tired. But I’m committed to posting every day this month. So, I’ll share with you what I shared with our granddaughter. She plays flute in the school band. I’ve always loved flute music! Of course, when considering good flute music, you MUST discuss Locomotive Breath …
Dinah’s Chat About Continued Gratitude -Day 24/30
Photo by Dinah It’s the day after Thanksgiving and I’m still grateful. I’m grateful that our day was quiet and drama-free. This wasn’t always the case. I’m grateful for peace. My friends have become my family. They support me and challenge me. They help me to keep trying to be a better person. I’m grateful …
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Happy Thanksgiving -Day 23/30
It’s Thanksgiving here in the US. That means different things for different people. For some people… It’s a welcomed chance to get together with family from near and far. It’s an opportunity to continue family tradition.For others…. It’s a reminder of family dynamics that didn’t/don’t work or of family lost… Either physically or to dysfunction…or …
Writing -Day 22/30
Remember that feeling? The pressure you felt as a school kid when a big test was on the horizon or an assignment was coming due? The feeling of “should” was always just below the surface. “I SHOULD be preparing for this!”That same vague pressure seems to skulk around my adult life right around tax time. …
Alchemy- Day 21/30
Photo by Dinah (c) I’m sharing this for all of us. I’m sharing it for myself because I want to internalize it. I want it to move from my head to my heart to my bones so that it’s not just a memory. I want it to become a knowing, a truth that my body …
Miracles -Day 20/30
Photo by Dinah (c) I’m looking forward to miracles the same way a child looks forward to Saturday morning. When teachers and schoolwork choreograph most of every week, there’s a kind of deliciousness in reclaiming the openness of the weekend…an excitement that comes when you can make time your own. That’s what I’m looking forward …
Silent Sunday-Day 19/30
Photo by Dinah (c) In honor of my mom’s birthday…. She loved Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach…. Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) I’m glad you’re here💜 This post is part of the November Nanopoblano challenge. A group of us …
Boomerang -Day 18/30
Photo by Dinah (c) I am a boomerang I almost always come back Perhaps this is my own personal Right of Return We were young and married and forgot that love can only flourish where appreciation dwells We ended our storyAnd then returned 2 years later and rebuilt everything Starting with ourselves Boomerang I worked …
Dinah’s Chat About Dysfunctional Family Bingo -Day 17/30
Photo by Don (c) Can you feel it? It’s in the air. The HoliDAZE are coming! I decided to write about this earlier than usual because I wanted to be able to share author Martha Beck’s ingenious holiday coping game in time for Thanksgiving. And I want to be sure to stipulate that this is …
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Friendship -Day 16/30
Photo by Don (c) Photo by Don (c) I saw an old friend today Not a text Not a Zoom call Actual face to face time It was wonderful Why do we wait so long to see the people we love? We sat in a restaurant for 3 hours Talking, laughing, Our past/present/future blended into …
Picture Day – Day 15/30
Photo by Dinah (c) If a picture paints a thousand words…. My vocabulary is running low today. So I thought I’d show up with some pictures….. Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) Photo by Dinah (c) Wishing us all peace of mind and heart. Shalom! This post is part …
Body Talk – Day 14/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Some days I can barely stand to be in my bodyThere was no break upI don’t know why we stopped speaking My friend also has a body that plays hide and seek with her We talk about this Sometimes Our bodies pendulum Without our consent We feel the tick tock of …
Our Beginning -Day 13/30
Photo by Dinah (c) HAPPY BIRTHDAY DON!Usually, on my husband’s birthday, I write a post about some of the wonderful qualities that make him who he is. But today it’s a different kind of day so it merits a different kind of post. Today, he enters a new decade… That makes this day even more …
An Uneven Day -Day 12/30
Photo by Dinah (c) Today is an uneven kind of day The temperature is warmBut the wind is too focused on announcing winterThe wind doesn’t care about prolonging our warmthMy mind wants to be out in the sun Defying the wind would be a worthy pastime But my body is too consumed by the sleep …
Dinah’s Chat About Dad- Day 11/30
Photo by Dinah (c) I’m the keeper of our family photos and family stories. In my family, we didn’t have a lot of positive stories. Dysfunction steals the good stuff. I guess that makes the good ones even more precious. So, periodically, I’ll tell one of the few stories that I remember here. Good things …
TV Time -Day10/30)
Photo by Dinah (c) This will be a shorter post because, quite frankly, I didn’t manage my time very well today. The day kind of got away from me. We ran errands this morning. And then I felt a bit wonky this afternoon. Advil helped after a couple of hours. So during that time (waiting …
Shifting-Day 9/30
Yesterday I wrote about needing to sort things, release things, send things back out into circulation, rather than keeping them in boxes and closets and drawers.…. It made me aware that holding on is ultimately about fear… Fear of not enough, fear of not being ready, or prepared, fear of not being able to meet …
Sorting -Day 8/30
We are all such mosaics, aren’t we? Within each of us lives all of the versions of ourselves from all of the years we’ve been alive. In addition to that, we also carry pieces of all of our friends, family and even strangers who somehow impacted us significantly. As I age, I’m becoming increasingly aware …
Adulting—Day 7/30
I’m adulting…not happily, but I’m doing it. I had two medical appointments today that I wanted to blow off in the worst way…(sigh)… I kept the appointments because I’m trying to be a grown-up. I don’t really have the luxury of ignoring my health anymore. Routine visits become about more tests and more visits. My …
Biking-Day 6/30
When I was about eight or nine years old, my parents bought me a three wheel, three speed bicycle… A grandma’s bike. I was thrilled with it! Because of my disability, I couldn’t ride a two wheel bike. And I was embarrassed riding around with training wheels year after year because I didn’t have the …
Choosing Dreams-Day 5/30
Springtime, renewalThat’s where you’ll find me. Where trees are awake and showing off their new lion’s manes and flowers are swaying calling for more I want to sit there, learning their language of light and breeze and scentI want to hear their stories and feel their laughter The culture of nature, the manners of pollinators, …
What I see -Day 4/30
Photo by Dinah (c) The man leaving the gas station holds the door for the next person going in. I see small acts of kindness And the habit of mannersIt makes me smile The mom in the yard, watching the little one on the bikeI see love and fatigue in almost equal measure And the …
Exploring Procrastination-Day 3/30 (Dinah’s Wkend Chat)
Procrastination has been my companion for my entire life! We’re seemingly inseparable. The sad part though is that, even though we’re lifelong companions, we really don’t understand each other. If procrastination truly understood me, she’d realize that constantly putting things off isn’t doing me any favors. In fact, it’s actually quite anxiety provoking. Facebook Meme …
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Making Magic-Day 2/30
Photo by Don (c) “To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. …
And The Yearly Challenge Begins Again! Day 1/30
Photo by Dinah Welcome to Nanopoblano’23! This is a yearly blogging challenge that happens every November and is hosted by Ra Avis Please consider visiting her blog frequently. You’ll be glad you did. During this month, those of us that join the challenge, commit to blogging every day for 30 days. It’s a tall order, …
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With Angels and Elephants 