simpleandgrounded

Crossing the threshold of each new decade fills me with gratitude for the gifts of curiosity and wonder, and the rhythms of the seasons. Over the past few years, as we transitioned our life from Jacksonville, FL to Black Mountain, NC, my husband and I committed to a practice of living more simply and mindfully. Turns out, living simply can get pretty complicated. Tending the vegetable gardens, the fruit and nut forest, the berry patches and herb beds, demands far more of our time and energy than any trip to the grocery store. Then there’s the canning and drying and preserving of the harvest, stacking wood for winter fires, stoking the compost pile, and the like. Even so, when I spend a day with dirt under my nails and my bare feet on the earth, I know in my bones this is the right path for us.

For more than thirty years, my work identity has been that of a psychotherapist in private practice. I have been honored to walk with hundreds of clients as they healed from childhood trauma, navigated relationship crises, grieved painful losses, and wrestled with old demons. With the support and safe haven of a strong therapeutic alliance, nearly all of these clients emerged from their therapy work stronger, more empowered, and with a new (or renewed) sense of their innate wholeness. I continue to feel humbled by their trust in the work, and grateful for all I have learned from them.

Every new threshold holds promise and invites our mindful response. Faced with a new chapter, we can choose fear or curiosity. We can resist, or open to change with the eyes and trust of a child. In this blog, you will be my silent collaborator. I encourage you to comment on these threshold reflections with musings of your own. Let’s explore together what it means to live a more simple and grounded life.