Habit The shoes put on each timeleft first, then right.The morning potion’s teaspoonof sweetness stirred alwaysfor seven circlings, no fewer, no more,into the cracked blue cup.Touching the pocket for wallet,for keys,before closing the door.How did we cometo believe these small rituals’ promise,that we are today the selves we yesterday knew,tomorrow will be?(Excerpt from “Habit” by … Continue reading The Necessity of Small Rituals
heart failure patients
March 18, 2020: A Practice of Managing Worry & Anxiety
…Then what I am afraid of comes. I live for a while in its sight." (Wendell Berry (This Day: Sabbath Poems, Collected and New, 1979-2013 ) I admit it. The corona virus has me on edge. Since age and heart failure put me in the “greater risk” population, it may be part of the reason … Continue reading March 18, 2020: A Practice of Managing Worry & Anxiety
Dec. 29th: One Guiding Word for the Year Ahead
For the past week or so, I've been playing around with words, exploring meanings and synonyms, consulting dictionaries, thesauruses, poetry and other books for the single word that will serve as my guiding intention for 2020. It’s a practice introduced to me by a friend nearly ten years ago, and one I have embraced wholeheartedly. … Continue reading Dec. 29th: One Guiding Word for the Year Ahead
December 19, 2019: Waking in Dark Mornings
I live in a place where the winter season can stretch well beyond the calendar date for spring's arrival. Wind, snow, and freezing cold have already forced us into parkas and snow boots, thick scarves wrapped around our necks and knitted toques pulled down over our ears. It is not a time one relishes stepping … Continue reading December 19, 2019: Waking in Dark Mornings
Heart Failure as Teacher
…two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. (From “The Road Less Traveled,” by Robert Frost) It’s a familiar poem, one you were likely introduced to it in a high school English class. Frost’s portrayal of a traveler choosing a … Continue reading Heart Failure as Teacher
August 25, 2019: What Do We Talk About When We Talk About the Heart?
"Are you still writing?" Dr. R. asked as my appointment was ending. I had admitted, several weeks earlier, that I was struggling with writing this blog. "Oh yes," I said, "both blogs, but it's much easier for me to write the Writing Through Cancer posts than it is for my heart failure site." She laughed … Continue reading August 25, 2019: What Do We Talk About When We Talk About the Heart?
July 18, 2019: How Writing Helps Us Heal
(Preface: I began this blog nearly one year ago, and, as the anniversary date approaches, I am looking over my posts and revisiting the motivation that initially prompted me to begin exploring the lived experience of heart failure. I have always written, whether for myself or for publication. It's the way I make sense of … Continue reading July 18, 2019: How Writing Helps Us Heal
