Recovery. Sobriety. Living Wise.
This quote from Joseph Campbell is heartening when I am in a place of deep struggle. But doesn’t the “dark night of the soul” sometimes seem unfathomably long? When my dark nights descend upon me negativity feeds on me like a hungry mushroom, my world morphs into a small, dreary place, the sun never shines, and it’s perpetually 10 minutes before midnight. These are … Continue reading The Passing of a Dark Night
There are times I’ve owned a time share in these foothills. The mind is difficult geography to guard; worry can so easily muck things up and distort reality. Small things appear large Thoughts are transformed into bogeymen Friends are turned into enemies Dr. Charles Mayo, founder of the Mayo Clinic, shared this observation: “Worry affects the circulation, the digestive system, the heart and the … Continue reading Why Worry?
Rousseau said, “To endure is the first thing that a child ought to learn, and that which he will have the most need to know.” I remember my Grandpa Pat sharing stories of the Irish Potato Famine (1845-50), crying as he spoke. The collective tragedy was so great that it continues to scar the Irish psyche to this day. Hard times may be collective, like … Continue reading Surviving in the Hardest of Hard Times
Are you familiar with the sound of silence? The pain associated with mental anguish in all its forms often feels unspeakable. I’ve come to think of mental health and mental illness as two ends of a continuum on which we all find ourselves. Our place on the continuum may shift throughout the course of our lives, and hopefully, we can become better at nurturing … Continue reading A Sober Thought on Mental Health
Suffering. What’s the Point? I have been thinking lately about suffering and why we suffer. It’s not a new question. It’s one humans have wrestled with for eons. I’ve had fibromyalgia and painful knee and back injuries for 35 years, stemming from an auto accident. I feel pain every day. But it is minor in comparison to the emotional and physical pain some of my friends endure, such as the loss of … Continue reading Suffering (by Eileen)