This morning I was milling around the house, stewing about some problems that have popped up recently, when I decided to read Sulelika Jaouad’s latest Isolation Journals installment. It is about shifting expectations, and how allowing all sorts of outcomes to be okay, from lowering them to hoping for the best, can foster the ways … Continue reading The Look of True Wellness
It’s been a long, cold spring. After what felt like a long, cold winter. (And I like winter!) I don’t know about you, but if you’re anything like me, life has felt really hard for quite some time now. It’s been a trying several months for many, in myriad ways…from burnout do to overwork to … Continue reading Healing through Hiking
“The door itselfmakes no promises.It is only a door”~Adrienne Rich Have you seen the movie Sliding Doors? I have to admit that I don’t really remember the plot very well, other than in tandem story lines, Gwyneth Paltrow’s character misses her train by seconds as the doors slide shut in one, and in the other she makes it and … Continue reading It’s Only A Door
Here we are at the start of a new year. You could say it’s a chance to make the changes you want to your lifestyle. You could say it’s the start of a new chapter in your life, a chance to make this chapter your best yet. You could say what lies ahead are 365 … Continue reading Imperfect Practice is the Way Forward
I come from a family that celebrates strong women. My great aunt Hannah lived on her own well into her nineties, regularly taking baked goods by bike to what she called “the old folks’ home” in her small town. Great aunt Vera, now in her late 80s, still travels around the country visiting loved ones. … Continue reading Celebrating Strong Women
“This is hard, humbling work.” This is a sentence from 12 Tiny Things (a book that’s due out in early 2021), and it’s in reference to doing the work of tending to the self and embracing intentional, simple living. The sort of “intentional living” that we advocate for includes social justice, and committing to a … Continue reading Hard Humbling Work
Depending on where you are currently located in the world, coronavirus has probably impacted you in some way — whether it’s become a central focus (maybe you got sick, or know someone who was potentially exposed..) to something that’s just another blip in an unremarkable day (maybe you’ve just been reading about it on the … Continue reading Flowers Climbing Fences
“In the winter I am writing about, there was much darkness. Darkness of nature, darkness of event, darkness of the spirit. The sprawling darkness of not knowing. We speak of the light of reason. I would speak here of the darkness of the world, and the light of___. But I don’t know what to call … Continue reading Faith and Hope
The cold, though not unexpected, is startling. It feels good to walk through fields that have provided nourishment of all sorts to beings of all kinds. Ice clings to stalks of bowing grass. Every step crunches in the stillness of freeze. Muted colors announce themselves in burnt umber, dark brown, and burgundy, reminding us that … Continue reading In the Shadow of an Old Barn
The act of not writing is just as important as writing. Never underestimate the importance of staring out of a window or going for a walk. All too often the knottiest story problems can only be untangled by getting away from the desk. If all else fails, try going to sleep and letting your subconscious … Continue reading Running on Fumes
Heidi Barr | Author 