Posts by Patti
It Begins in the Dark
Patti here. There is so much to tell. A voice, a body, a heart all longing to speak. Telling secrets of the dark. So many things begin in the dark. Our conception starts in the hidden depths of our mother’s womb. Seeds sprout underground. Our secrets begin when we shut away our truth into the…
Read MoreGiving Thanks Anyway
https://the7tools.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/IMG_0636.m4v Patti here. I am finding it really easy to fall into feelings of sadness about all I am missing right now. I am missing hugs and cuddles from my still small granddaughter who lives down the road. Well, all my grandkids, but especially her because I see her so often. I am feeling anticipatory…
Read MoreThe Travails of 2020
Patti here. I want to preface this with I live a really wonderful life…love my family, love my job, love my life. I am nothing but lucky. And I am one of the super high risk folks who really need to go hide in a hole until this pandemic mess is all over. I don’t…
Read MoreRemembering What We Love
Patti here. When chaos hits and you lose your footing, whether from fear, overwhelm, grief or feelings of uncertainty, take a breath. Remember who and what you love. Take a breath grounded in those feelings. Let your mind’s eye embrace your spouse, your children, your grandchildren. Your friends. Whomever you love whether they be…
Read MoreWe Are Here To Love
Patti here. What strange and unsettling times these are. They have dropped us into our greatest fears and left us with deep uncertainty. But they could also lead us away from these fears and take us toward the spaciousness of compassion. We are advised to socially distance ourselves for the sake of our…
Read MoreVulnerability Hangover
Patti here. Have you ever had that experience where you open up and share of yourself and then afterwards you feel, well, kind of emotionally hungover? Kristen Neff and Chris Germer of The Center for Mindful Self-Compassion call it backdraft (like what happens in a fire when you open a door). Grace calls it a…
Read MoreLove, Santa
Santa knows everyone needs love Patti here, I am going to go out on a limb here and talk about Santa. Not because I think everyone should celebrate Christmas or because they ought to believe like I do, but rather because I think Santa is pretty darn cool. He’s a big jolly fellow who enjoys…
Read MoreHow I Knew My Emotional Life Was Interfering with My Parenting
Patti here. I remember a long time ago when my eldest child was two years old. Newly potty trained, she felt confident of her skills. Unfortunately, I didn’t at all. On this beautiful fall day, we prepared to ride bikes across the city to our food co-op. I knew the ride would take us 25…
Read MoreSwimming in the Deep End
Patti here. Have you ever had the experience of suddening falling back into the feelings and sensations of an old trauma? Out of the blue your logical mind has trouble distinguishing the past from the present? Smells, visual cues, strange thoughts transport you back in time. You are actually in present time, but you feel,…
Read MoreTweezing Out the Truth
You might be surprised when you take a look at yourself from a new perspective Patti here. Sometimes it’s important to ask for help. And sometimes that’s a hard lesson to learn. It can be easier to trundle through life without changing, assuming you know what is true about situations without considering that you might…
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