Category: Resilience
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We all have bad days
When I think of Charles Darwin, I think of an intellectual giant – someone who spent decades of his life investigating science and leaving behind an enormous legacy of thought-provoking research, such that he became a larger-than-life symbol of dedication and… …well, it turns out he was all of that,…
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Have you got grit?
I recently came across an online quiz (of 10 questions) that determines how much “grit” you have. According to my attempt, (I got 4.4 out of 5), it means I’ve got more grit than 90% of Americans. Yay me. Do I though? Or am I just stubborn? Or is grit…
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“Bending” – a faceless (anti)monument
My news feed is currently filled with images of a giant Triumphal Arch proposed for the United States of America. As a result, my mind has been bouncing around about the human need to build monuments to ourselves. In my PhD dissertation (I graduated late last year after PhD’ing with…
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Ugly art therapy
I’m a big believer in ‘the art of distraction‘ and know from firsthand experience that when we slip into ‘the flow’ of creating something (be it sewing, kiddy craft or a short story) we can forget about time, our surroundings, and most importantly, our pain. I’ve also written in the…
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“Precious Illusions”
I was a child in the 1970s and 80s. It was quiet. I don’t mean that figuratively, but literally. Our house had a small black and white TV, a radio and a giant piece of furniture that held a mini-record turntable (in the corridor (of all places)). Weekends were spent…
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When your migraine triggers are a trigger
“What do you think caused this bad migraine?” my husband kindly asks. “I don’t know,” I honestly reply; “yesterday was very hot, so maybe I got overly dehydrated?” If I’m in a reasonable mood the innocent enquiry will end there. If I’m feeling more paingry, then I’m likely to get…
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Aliens… alienated
When I was growing up, the word ‘alien’ was a shorthand way of conjuring up images of E.T. Phoning Home, eating mashed potato mountains while humming an electronic beep-bop tune, or an assortment of green-hued light beams, metal donuts, and other-worldly secrets deliberately concealed or accidentally revealed… oh, and THAT…
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Retro-walking backwards
Not long ago I posted about the Walk for Peace. Whilst last year I wrote about how I say the alphabet backwards to help me get to sleep and another about riding a bicycle backwards. Continuing my interest in both walking and backwardness, I recently wrote about Tai Chi Walking,…
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Be the CEO of your own body
At the beginning of the year, I mentioned the Australian fashion designer Camilla Franks as one of my role models who was going to mentor me (in my imagination). Camilla and I are very different – she lives the colorful and glamorous life of a socialite / traveler, and she…
The Mindful Migraine 