Many are not feeling ok right now.

So much pain and hardship in the practice of medicine right now.

Sending love and compassion to each and every one of my colleagues in medicine.

“Do not ask your children

to strive for extraordinary lives.

Such striving may seem admirable,

but it is the way of foolishness.

Help them instead to find the wonder

and the marvel of an ordinary life.

It’s possible to go from struggling

to managing

to living more easefully

to feeling engaged and connected.

The old versions were great AND the new versions work faster and often function much more smoothly.

Less wasted time and energy.

Not without hiccups but definitely with less churn.

And they are often lighter, easier to carry, and easier to use.

Their cameras see and capture beauty better than the previous versions.

If we realize that inherently things are both good and bad and, for the most part, 50/50 —we can use this to our advantage. We can focus on what is in our control- how we experience the 50/50. This is how we shift the balance and impact our lived experience of our one “wild and precious life.”

What if you stopped waiting for something or sometime in the future and instead started living your life more fully today? Even in the midst of who knows what, what if you chose to make all 7 days of your week extraordinary in some way —right now? What if you intentionally experienced some true joy and connection in each one? What if you decided to be better together? With all the people in your life? This work is the preventive care for a happy, healthy, connected, and joyful life and relationships.

Barriers may be disguised as busyness, a real or perceived issue with your partner, old stories, resentments, “what’s ifs” in your mind, sometimes even a lack of feeling of deserving in yourself.

Coaching and mindfulness have helped me see more of my barriers and begin to let them go.

Pausing and being present was the first step. Then the work was to notice and begin to peel away the barriers with mindful intention and compassion.

As humans, without mind management, we tend to focus on the negative, our differences, and what is not working. Many of us also have a lot of tendencies to blame -ourselves and others, and quickly revert to guilt, shame, victimhood, anger, and resentment. Coaching helps you shift your perspective, ask better questions, build self-compassion, and find peace with your decisions and path forward whatever they may be. Coaching sets you up for success and peace.

Most people can IMMEDIATELY think of something —even if it feels “unusual” or not clearly explainable. It is often a restaurant, a small shop, or a place you felt immediately “home” but didn’t know why. Envy isn’t necessarily a “bad” thing.

Nourishment is a prerequisite for transformation. Being the best possible parent, spouse, friend, doctor, colleague, and contributor to a better world are not possible from a place of depletion.

There are many ways to nourish yourself. Healthy food is but one.

My husband saw me when I couldn’t see myself. I was not dancing my heart.

I was missing the moments and missing out on my best self. I did not pause.

I was not often, truly present. And I did not often lean into or even listen to my heart's desires and wisdom.

Sometimes we need someone to help us see what’s inside of us.

To believe in us more than we believe in ourselves, and to guide us to discover who we really are.

What if it turns out better than you expect? It can and often does.

At the moment, it all seemed “bad” and overwhelming. I could not see the way forward or a way through.

Today I see that it has turned out amazing. Clearly, it happened exactly as it was supposed to.

This reflection was inspired by a photo of a snail posted by someone on facebook.

The caption read: “practicing moving through the world slowly.” I have never liked snails— when I was a kid my mom made me remove them from her orange trees by the plastic bagful. This photo of a snail on a leaf was beautiful and technicolor. To be able to see beauty in a snail photo took me aback.

When transforming, and becoming and unbecoming, is approached NOT from a place of pushing or throttling, but from a place of gentleness and kindness to self, a place of embracing who you are, where you have been and how far you have come — that’s where the magic happens.