I knew when I moved to Portugal that I would need to learn Portuguese. I even started (using Memrise) before we left, but since it lacked context the lessons were boring and nothing stuck. especially since I wasn’t learning vocabulary that was useful in day to day life for the most part. Ate logo (minus […]
Year’s End
Last year, in the light of the moon peering through the towering pines behind my house, I offered myself up to Deity in a ritual I have done every year since 1980. I pledged myself then, and renew that vow in recognition of Their regard of, and for, me. In my spiritual tradition, this is […]
Annual Tarot Reading (2022)
Every year I do a tarot reading for myself to get an idea of what the coming year might bring. As always, presented without comment.
Annual Review & Goal-Setting, 2022
Before I say anything else, I have to acknowledge that my life is in a very different place from what I imagined it might be last year. I’m still in a transitional state, so much continues to be in flux. More than anything, my goals last year envisioned a life as a newly-retired person, living […]
July is a tricky month
July is a tricky month. It feels like the height of summer, and certainly the high temperatures signal that directly. When I was much younger I loved the sun and could lie in its golden rays for hours, rolling over every half hour to make sure I tanned the same color on all sides.As ancient […]
Mercury Retrograde: Revelations
I’m a few days late with this post because I’ve basically been traveling since the beginning of May, all while Mercury has been retrograde. Lots of delays, changes, and revelations. Didn’t expect that last one, did you?
You Can’t Get Away from Yourself
One of the things that excited us about retiring early and moving to a new country was that we could both develop new — healthier — habits. We felt (as do many) that our working life was geared to taking care of our employer’s needs rather than our own. Even when we were relieved from […]
Shedding
For many years, J. and I shared custody of two dogs, Sasha from late 2007 and Leo in mid 2015, and two cats, from late 2011. Thus a seasonal rite of passage was the great shedding as all of them lost their heavy winter coats. This post is not about that kind of shedding.
Conflict Can Be Good
“… avoiding conflict is a huge dead end. It’s a dead end for self-esteem, for healthy love relationships, meaningful friendships, work drama, and stable family engagements.”
Grieving My Whole Life
Autumn is a liminal time for me, a place where we move from one state of being into another. Most of my life, its been a time of massive energy, a shifting from the slow relaxing days of summer into the increased pace of back-to-school or oh-look-year-end-is-coming of work. September has always been a shift […]