What now – In pursuit of purpose
- At October 03, 2019
- By Lisa
- In Experiences, Musings, Writing
2
I’ve been silent, I know.
For the last few weeks (months) I’ve been considering my state of what Lyn Slater at Accidental Icon, has called her “whatnowness”. We are not alone.
Thirty year olds are moving toward a new decade of numbers. Seventy year olds, first time empty nesters, college grads, political activists, women’s rights leaders … It seems we’re all considering what has gone before, where we are now, and questioning where we go from here.
Read More»Playing Smash Bros taught me not to be afraid to suck
- At April 25, 2019
- By Lisa
- In Experiences, Musings
- 0
My son studies physics at UMass Boston. He studies a lot but in his free time he enjoys playing video games. Like most his age, he has been playing an assortment of genres since he was six years old. So when he received a Nintendo Switch for Christmas last year, he wanted me to play with him … as a way of bonding, I guess. Or perhaps he thought it might be good for me to work out some aggressions. But I was intimidated.
Read More»Collecting Visual Trinkets – The allure of beauty in everyday life
- At March 24, 2019
- By Lisa
- In Art, Features, Musings, Photography
- 2
I had a hard time writing this essay. It has been several weeks in the making and perhaps because it was meant to be uplifting and inspirational, it stifled me. The photography came easily but words are hard and I found them somehow lacking in rightful expression—my writing tends toward the dark side of late. There are some creative notions, however, that I wish to share with you, dear reader, so let’s carry on.
Read More»Cozy Christmas – Celebrating Iceland’s Jolabokaflod
- At December 23, 2018
- By Lisa
- In Current Events, Experiences, Musings
- 4
The idea of being cozy. It is the absolute definition of self care during cold winter nights.
I learned a good deal about coziness when I was living in Scandinavia. This normally included big fluffy blankets, no less than five candles burning, and maybe a gathering of non-twinkling twinkle lights haphazardly arranged somewhere in a far corner.
Coziness extended outside of our homes as well. I very much loved the fact that during cooler months, and even in the dead of winter, some cafes in Gothenburg still offered outdoor seating complete with candles and blankets for those taking their coffee outside. There was just something so very beautiful about that, especially if the snow was falling.
In Denmark, coziness is referred to as hygge and in Sweden we embraced what was called fredagsmys or “cozy Friday”. Coziness is celebrated often as a tradition in these countries, but when well-embraced it becomes a lifestyle.
Read More»Teaching myself to read, again
- At October 21, 2018
- By Lisa
- In Narcissistic Abuse Recovery, Wellness, Writing
- 4
Nearly everyone has had the experience of reading a paragraph or a page in a book, getting to the bottom of it, and then realizing they have no idea what they just read. In 2017, this was happening to me on a regular basis. In fact, it was happening all the time. As a writer, not being able to focus or comprehend reading material was obviously problematic.
This had never been an issue for me in the past. Prior to my experiences in Sweden, I had laser focus. But after my return to the US, I found I could read news articles and the simple short posts people would write on social media, but I couldn’t focus on longform or fiction. My abilities to research and to stay on task were also significantly reduced.
Why the change?
Read More»Failure to protect
- At October 05, 2018
- By Lisa
- In Current Events, Experiences
- 2
Once when I was in Gothenburg, I was abandoned on the street at one o’clock in the morning by my fiancé. The buses and trams stopped running that late at night and so while he jumped into a cab to get home, he left me behind. On purpose.
He was angry at me. I don’t know why, I rarely knew why. Maybe he had gotten embarrassed that evening or a comment was made by someone that he didn’t like, and as usual the anger and punishment was dealt to me.
I didn’t have the money to take a cab home myself. So when he phoned me from his ride, I asked him if he would he pay the fare for me when I got home. He told me to walk. He wasn’t going to pay two fares.
Read More»Podcasts for curious minds and broken hearts
- At June 12, 2018
- By Lisa
- In Experiences, Wellness, Writing
- 2
It was a simpler life when our grandparents sat around on a Sunday evening in front of the radio listening to a weekly broadcast. Today, listening to podcasts allows us to recapture the relaxing and informative moments of a bygone era away from computer and TV screens. It really is a wonderful way to relax before bed or better endure a long travel trip.
Here are some podcasts that I’ve come to enjoy. May they serve to also inform you and renew your spirit:
Read More»The certainty of my uncertainty
- At May 03, 2018
- By Lisa
- In Editorial, Experiences, Features, Musings
- 4
No one teaches us how to think. It’s not something we learn in high school and it’s not until perhaps college where we may be instructed as to the fine art of critical thinking or logic and philosophy. Many of us make important decisions based on emotional thinking.
Several months ago, friends and I were sitting around my strangely colored living room drinking cocktails and discussing the state of things. “Things” in this case would be politics, divisions between genders and society, physics, magic, writing – we frequently have such discussions here in Boston. We are not afraid of expressing opinions and having gentle (sometimes not so gentle) debate.
I can’t remember the exact topic of conversation at the time but my son who is a student of physics at UMass Boston said to me, “Why are you always so certain about things?”
Read More»
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