What Feeds My Soul/Spirit

As I write this I have the back door open to keep an eye on my boy who is digging in the dirt while the next door neighbors play basketball.  It is a beautiful, sunny day with temperatures in the mid 60s.  If only it would stay this way.

Awhile back I sat in church and in my little journal wrote a list of all the things that feed my soul.  I keep this journal with me almost all the time to jot down everything from a to do list to quotes to words that strike me in some way.

Last week I set aside some time while in my office at work to take my feeds-my-soul-list and find miniatures and place them in my sand tray.  (Incidentally, this sand tray was a gift from a former student who had remembered that many semesters before I had mentioned in a play therapy class how much I was coveting Eliana Gil's sandtray in her family play therapy video.  So very grateful for this gift.)  The ironic thing about this activity is I had just come from teaching about socioemotional development in infants.  It was another beautiful day but the air conditioning wasn't working right in the classroom.  I was nauseous.  Perhaps I should have just gone home, but I was determined to do this tray.

What Feeds My Soul/Spirit

All things creative:

music, drama, books, visual art

young children for so very many reasons

being in nature:

the trees, flowers, and water

sitting by a roaring fire,

looking up at the sky,

walking along a bridge,

listening to a water fountain

the beach:

the sun, the sand, the waves

finding shells

making sand castles

the grace, the freedom, the nurturing of birds and butterflies

fresh, local, organic food

sipping tea with a friend while having a heart-to-heart talk

I need to find a little table for those tea cups

sitting.

be still.

meditating.

my meditative like figure just seemed too big
so Gumby came to the rescue

The other two items in the tray were a bottlecap that said "play" and a knobby, colorful ball.

What do these things all have in common?

Taking the time to be quiet

to listen

to reflect

to be grateful

to remember what is really important.

To know we are all connected.

Namaste!

Doing the Important Work of Self-Care

on my way to play academic at the library
all photos in this post taken with iPhone
I really must get out the dSLR

An update.

I’m still here.  Making important life changes.  It’s like going to the dentist.  You dread it but afterwards you are so glad you did, and if you put it off you wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.  So much of these changes truly fall under self-care.  Like the commercial… 'cause I’m worth it.

This would also fall under practice what you preach/teach.  I’ve been teaching one or two sections of 30+ students in undergraduate Lifespan Development for the last 12 years.  For each stage of the lifespan the students learn about what to expect for that age physically, cognitively, and socioemotionally.  So here’s where this early middle age person is lately.

From Lori Portka's 2012 calendar

the wish for January

 
Physically—I get up each morning and walk quickly on the treadmill while watching something I’ve recorded on the DVR.  It’s usually the Colbert Report or The Daily Show so I’m also literally LOL.  Trying to eat better.   Less bread, sugar, etc.  More veggies and fruit.  You know the drill.  Smaller portions.  Eating less.  Not stuffing myself.  Have tried to change my work schedule so I can attend yoga and pilates classes at least twice a week.  My wish: to be strong and healty.  And if I lose several pounds, that'll be nice too.

Cognitively—I’ve been educating myself more and more about politics and our political system.  It seems quite depressing at times and I have fantasies of being some kind of activist and changing the world.  I’ve been watching Bill Moyers new show on PBS and recommend Tavis Smiley’s Poverty in America special.  My wish: never stop learning.

above the bar at the local joint

Socioemotionally—Hubby and I are trying to spend more time with one another and with friends.  Kids, responsibilities, and life can get in the way if you let them.  So this is an example of play for me.  Going to a movie (we saw The Artist) or hanging at a local place listening to live music.  Having long conversations with friends.  My wish: meaningful connections.

play related journals via Instagram

Play therapy career—Wrote another Mining Report for APT--I "mine" for play therapist intelligence and summarize it for other play therapists.  Was asked to apply to be on the ballot for the Board of Directors of APT.  Submitted 2 proposals to present at the next APT conference and was included on a third.  I enjoy presenting at conferences.  My wish: isn't it obvious? 

Work—planning my play therapy center’s 4^th conference, supervising graduate students, teaching, attending committee meetings, seeing clients, and on and on.  Not much new here.

Spiritually--I try to follow #spiritchat on Twitter on Sunday mornings.  Virtual connections with people from all over the U.S. and the world.  They make me think and inspire me.  Some will even send me tweets throughout the week.  It's nice to know someone's thinking of you.

Here's hoping you're doing the important work of self-care.  And if you're not, what's stopping you?

Picture the Holidays -- Days 4 and 5

Theme for Day 4 was You Hold the Key.  Most of us already have within ourselves "the keys" to know how to care for ourselves during the holidays and throughout the year for that matter.  I remembered that I recently bought these keys at a parent-teacher store thinking I could use them at some point in a creative way.  On each key I wrote down reminders of things I can do to unlock self-care in my life.

Theme for Day 5, today, is The View from Here.

So here was my view earlier today while sitting at my desk.

A reminder (via zena moon candles).

The label says

There is more to life than increasing its speed.

—Gandhi

I'm Baaaccckkk!

My goodness!  Never gone this long without blogging since I started in Sept. 2010.  Seems like the entire month of October and beginning of November has been some of the busiest weeks of my life and I don't like it one bit.  Can't seem to get caught up.  I like to stay busy but not so busy that I feel like I can't breathe.

I bought the shirt you see above when I was at the APT conference.  They are available here.  (No, kickbacks for me, but I'm always willing to promote APT.)  I have to smile or even frown a bit seeing myself in that shirt, because I haven't had much play in my life lately and I see the outcomes of this: cranky, irritable, and complaining.  I have tons of ideas for what I'd like to write, present, and just do but other work and sometimes family-related things have gotten in the way.  I hope to make some changes for the future so I can do those things that I find fulfilling as well as exercise better self-care, because I plan to be around for a long, long time.

For now I'll share some photos I have found on my iphone. 

Like this one my daughter took of herself swinging. 

I just love the feeling of freedom when you're on a swing.

I will admit that one reason for being behind is watching the Texas Rangers who eventually lost in 7 games during the World Series. 

(Perhaps I should have spent that time grading, but it was fun to watch.)

(via Instagram)

Miles wrote TCU (my alma mater) on one of his cars and took this photo of it.

What's leftover when you tie-dye t-shirts for Halloween without using gloves.

Because it's more fun without gloves!

Meredith and friend dancing in our living room. (via Instagram)

First time we've ever bid and won something at a live auction.  This is a basket of stuff from Miles's class with the theme of "Family Night."  Filled with games, puzzles, movies, snacks, and a football.

All in the name of helping out my kid's school.

The kids on Halloween.  Mer is some kind of '80s girl and Miles is a golfer. 

And finally, as rough as things are they could be worse.  Am trying my best to be thankful, especially that I am employed, am relatively healthy (battling a sinus infection), and have a loving family.  Gratitude has been on my mind so much lately it was the theme for my pumpkin at our friends' annual party.  I covered it with things I am grateful for.

Dear reader, I am grateful for you. 

Listening to my rants, sharing in my photos, and following this one, crazy, playful life I have.



A Walking Meditation



Last weekend was Memorial Day, my 16th anniversary, and I taught a course I created called Creative Play Therapy Interventions.  My goal for this course has always been for the time together to feel like a retreat where the students can experience the techniques and philosophy before applying them to their own clients.  (It was also so very nice to share some things I learned from my art retreat with Liz Lamoreux.)

On Saturday, my class experienced walking meditation as we traveled a couple of blocks from the downtown square of Scottsville KY to a small grassy area where they played with their cameras.  It was a joy to watch these students' stress melt away in the sunshine.  I took the following photos. 

the building on the right houses Lindsey Wilson College at Scottsville

One of the wonderful things about photos is they can immediately take us back to another time.

A time to remember.

A time to play.

A time to wonder.

A time to be yourself.

A time to take your time.

A time to breathe.

Art Journaling and Self-Care

Meredith gets in on the painting action

Spring break for the kids this week but hubby and I still had to work.  They did come along with us early in the week for the KMHCA conference where I presented on self-care.  This meant they had the chance to swim in the hotel pool.  I remember how much fun it was to spend the night in a hotel as a kid.  My parents used to do this with my sister and I as a way to combat the cold Iowa winters.  As part of the conference, the Appalachian Play Therapy Center sponsored a Stress-Free Zone.  I brought along all sorts of art supplies, simple games, blocks and there was even line dancing.  My kids definitely enjoyed hanging out here and were so proud to be given their very own name tags.  I found myself painting a beach scene out of watercolors.  Perhaps I am really needing a break.  Hearing about others I know who've gone to Florida isn't helping but I'm happy for them.

Here are my art journals I have done over the span of a couple of weeks based on a workshop for wishBIGecamp by Shannon Kinney-Duh.  I incorporated a focus on self-care.

Of course, I think a great way to engage in self-care is through PLAY!

Here are a couple of the first ones I did.  I was going to have the first one say Be Like a Child but I ran out of letters.  Maybe that's a good thing.

This last one I really had no idea what I wanted to do with my painted background.  Just felt like incorporating the shapes which then reminded me of my son, the solar system lover.

Art journaling is another method of self-care.  One key to art journaling is to just let go, play around, and have fun.  Try not to have expectations.  Can be quite hard to not listen to those voices, the Inner Critic as Kate Swoboda calls it, but if you allow yourself it can be quite fun.  I think I can do okay with letting go of my Inner Critic as long as I say I'm playing.  But if I say I'm making art, then I can hear them louder.  And putting my art on my blog is even harder, because I'm making myself vulnerable especially to what others might think of me.  BUT SO WHAT!

Another Blogpost on Self-Care and I'm not foolin'

Today I'm working on a presentation for the Kentucky Mental Health Counseling Assocation annual conference.  Just an hour to present on

 and

Kinda funny/ironic that I would choose to present on self-care given my recent posts and the fact that I've chosen KIND as my One Little Word for the year.

But we tend to teach what we most need to learn.

And am I procrastinating by writing this blogpost?  No, I'm getting my creative juices flowing!

Any ideas about the topic?  I'm kinda hung up on what verb to choose.  Do we exercise, embody, exhibit, or practice self-care?  Or is it something else?

Of course, I think one of the best methods of self-care is...

Have a good weekend!