Iridacea

On the Emotional Aftermath of Mastectomy.

This is another post from the draft vault. Written May 2014 a few weeks after my mastectomy and never posted. Though I have written more on the theme of this piece since 2014, I post this now, at the two year anniversary of my surgery, in service to all those who are wrestling with their own feelings either in the…

Charging up the Soul Batteries

A few weeks back in the last rays of sun Joe and I took a stroll on the there-and-back-again version of our neighborhood loop. The light was so good I wanted to drink it. We passed only one person in the perfect evening – one of our neighbors, enjoying his own stroll. He alerted us to…

This is Post #100 – When Wishes Are Horses

Can you Yipp? Can you Yopp? Doctor Seuss’ Horton the Elephant declared, “A person’s a person no matter how small.” after hearing the voice of the tiny visionary Dr. H. Hoovey coming from a dust speck. Which led Horton to take action to protect the tiny Whos of Whoville. The Who’s eventually banded together to save themselves, and in the end it is the last…

The Madonna, Mama’s Day & Mudflap Babes

Mama’s Day My boys surprised me this year for Mother’s Day with an evening picnic out by the river. Joe took me for a walk Saturday, and then on the way back, low and behold, there were our two sons lounging on a blanket with all the accruements for a picnic. Including flowers picked in our…

Tamoxifen 2.0

For months I have been researching and considering Tamoxifen, the one prescription drug I receive. Last week I decided to take a holiday from it. Wanting to figure out if the side effects I am experiencing are related to Tamoxifen, or some other issue, like turning into an old hag – this is my birthday month after…

Body Sovereignty

Tomorrow we travel to Portland to visit with both Compass Oncology for a blood draw and check up, and to Hai Shan clinic for acupuncture and a reset of my swamp tea formula. The two sides of my treatment coin at the moment. After watching the huge TTAC documentary a few weeks ago, and then…

Rainbow Love

When I learned that the ancient science of our Chakra system equates the seven chakras with the colors of the rainbow, it peeked my interest. My obsession with rainbows has been going on for awhile. For the last few years I have been taking a bit of a voyage, attempting to better understand the chakras in all their rainbow splendor….

Breast, Singular

I wrote this in early 2015 for submission to The Sun Magazine’s Readers Write section. Topic, Breasts. Though it was not chosen for publication there, I think it is a pretty good piece. (Look here to read the pieces that were chosen.) So in celebration of the second anniversary of my mastectomy today I give it to all of…

Not by Kale Alone.

As we collaborate to design our life together as a family, we are trying to integrate as many facets that contribute to a thriving life as we can. We are defining a thriving life as balanced, productive, happy, of service, and long. Though we have always eaten lots of kale, we are trying to crank up…

Overdraft Notice

We have lots of accounts that have nothing to do with the banks. Our Social Capital accounts are filled by all the emotional and care deposits we have made into our various relationships. Our Nutritional accounts, and Sleep accounts keep our bodies working as they should, and our Resiliency account allows us to weather adversity up to…

Little Miracles Everywhere

Yesterday on my blustery walk home I saw what I believed to be a plastic bag caught in the blackberries next to the river. Just as I began to climb down the rocks to retrieve it, I heard a cheery bike bell in the distance. Martin! pedaling home from weaving class on his bike. Announcing, “Never…

Is Tamoxifen the Boat?

There is a humorous fable about how God intercedes in our lives, probably told in millions of churches the world over. A big storm sets the water to rising, and soon it has turned into a flood. A man looks up at the sky and secure in his faith, he asks God to save him. Just at…