I doubt I will ever lose my obsessive need to have working Comms, so I have deep affection and respect for the IT Help Desk. My favorite part of the script occurs after we have sometimes worked our way through the hierarchy of expected problems and fixes to arrive at the joint real estate of being stumped. “Have you performed a hard reset?” [I can’t resist] “What’s that?” “Have you turned it off and then turned it back on?” “Oh.”

This past year has provided an embarrassment of riches with regard to my personal growth and I have experienced the type of security that has allowed me to continue to explore important work in cultivating my Beginner’s Mind. My trainer, Anne (https://www.homegrownfit.com/), has consistently offered atypical movement classes to cultivate mobility and strength. I completed two levels of Reiki study and explored more of the trauma-informed work that has allowed me to become better acquainted with my own neuro-physiology.

About a year ago, I was extended the privilege of introducing a trauma-reduction modality to a particular group of people [privacy]. It felt a lot like hosting a party and hoping that folks would show up. Spoiler Alert: they’re amazing, and they did. I’m very proud of all of us who did this work for ourselves and each other and deeply grateful for everyone’s investment. By the end of the year, I felt a little like I was in a band that had met with some unexpected success – I wanted to rest in the gratification of a great experience, and I am also tired.

I felt it coming on a couple of months ago and planned for the necessary eventuality of practicing more of what I preach. What my reset looks like: continued participation in my weekly knitting group (Church), hot & cold immersions at a local wellness center, and beginning some somatic work with practitioners. At the end of the month, I’m going to attend a Reiki Master Class (https://www.reikitheholygift.com/) with an amazing and generous educator.

I’m not the sort of person who believes that “self-care” done “right” means we never meet our limits – I think that places too much responsibility on all of us who participate in systems that may or may not be able to always accommodate our personal needs. I am the sort of person who strives to recognize my own limits (acceptance is also a growth edge) and fortune has smiled by surrounding me with a community who is understanding and supportive.

From Friday-Monday, I will be shutting myself off on a 4-day silent retreat to the Trappist Abbey in Yamhill County. I already have some trepidation about a black-screen phone. The only reading I will be doing is from a book. The only speaking I will be doing is intermittent prayer. And a meeting with my friend who has been a monk there for almost 30 years – God help him.

Blessings and Peace (and quiet). FMc