Following this past holiday season, I knew we needed to SORT before we STASHED. ✓ Yes, it would take more time and effort. ✓ Yes, it would be a pain. But I knew it would (undeniably) be worth it. Before To start, I brought up all the bins from the basement. Before adding anything back… Continue reading Decluttering: Out with the Old
As it tends to happen, I just had THE MOST INCREDIBLE experience (namely, leading a retreat in Portugal), but it was bookended with heartache. Before leaving for the retreat, my dear Gram had a serious fall and was gone within a week. Although she wasn't ever actually terminally ill (which made getting hospice care difficult), she announced… Continue reading Layers of Loss
Linger over what makes you smile. Savor delight and connection. Fully embrace and absorb meaningful moments as they pass. Why Incorporate Impermanence Practices? From completely forgettable happenings to momentous events, nothing lasts forever. Moments are here, and then they’re gone. Every sentient being will have its allotted lifespan. Even our sun is destined to eventually… Continue reading Impermanence
As a doula, I've had the incomparable honor of being present at life's beginnings and end. Either can (sometimes) be difficult. Both can (sometimes) be beautiful. Recently, I was providing phone support to an adult son who was tending to his terminally-ill mother. It was an exhausting, emotional journey for them, as it can (often)… Continue reading A Goodbye Lullaby
If you know me at all as a doula or death lit writer, you know I reference “intensity” far more often than “suffering.” This is because intensity—during birth, death, or grief—is pretty much a given. Whether it’s felt by the person actually journeying through or those surrounding them, and whether it’s emotional, physical, spiritual, or… Continue reading Attending to Suffering: Helplessness and Proximity
Francesca Lynn Arnoldy 