The Me-Time Mixtape: Three essential hand-curated links and resources on creative self-care. Carve out some me time this week!
With so much uncertainty in the world, I find myself turning inward. I’m trying to protect my emotional sensibilities and the positive mindset I’ve worked hard to cultivate. I’ve been working on myself (my internal state) these last few years and it’s hard work. Necessary work. But I’m also reminding myself not to get so caught up in my personal growth goals that I become out of touch with the present moment. Not every day can be a step forward to realize my “grand schemes”; the blueprint may morph and shift as goals change once we get more information from our day-to-day situation.
How do we develop a flexible mindset? I have some ideas. In today's podcast episode, I explore how personal growth goals can morph and change along our life's journeys. Also, see #1 below for Ursula Le Guin's take on all this.
#1 The Journey Matters
Ursula K Le Guin, in her novel, The Left Hand of Darkness said,
It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.
So both are good – having the end goal in mind and enjoying the day-to-day journey to get there.
#2 Help a Loved One Accept Caregiving
Do you know someone who might need some caregiving but won't accept it right now? This AARP resource is for what I call the "care-resistant" person. This four-part virtual workshop on accepting caregiving walks our elders through the physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental realms of making this decision. One of the tools used is guided journaling! Share this series with a loved one who needs some caregiving, but may not be ready to admit it, or doesn’t know where to start.
#3 A Lovely Poem on Reckoning with Grief
Hyejung Kook's beautiful poem speaks of estimation mixed with knowing as we journey to come to terms with grief. The metaphor of navigating the open seas suggests uncertainty, but it's juxtaposed by the action taken to reckon with grief. There's hope here, as conveyed in these magical lines suggesting inner strength:
I’d like to know how far
I’ve gone
how much farther there is
to go how absence
unfathomable
becomes
something I can carry
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Latest Podcast Episode
Episode #42: Personal Growth Is In the Process: How to Love Where You Are
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