Vicki Atkinson's Blog, page 24
October 3, 2023
One Hand on His Back
The smallest acts of kindness can render me tearful.
Yesterday I was at a doctor’s office for a routine procedure and while I waited for my turn, I observed a harried front desk person who was juggling busy phone lines while tending to in-person patients. I wanted to jump in to help her (which, obviously, was not gonna happen) and wondered where her back-up support was.
When an older man approached, clearly confused and in need of more than a finger pointing to where the restroom wa...
October 1, 2023
Characteristics of Courage
Where does courage come from and how might one build bench strength to be ever-more resilient in the face of onslaughts of all sorts? One of the resources I’ve used for several years is a book from Dr. Melanie Greenberg: The Stress-Proof Brain: Master Your Emotional Response to Stress Using Mindfulness and Neuroplasticity. I know! That’s a whopper of a book title, isn’t it?
I will probably write a more detailed post (or perhaps a series) about Dr. Greenberg’s book at some point b...
September 28, 2023
Breathe the Air
The influence of the earth and the cadence of the seasons….on my mind today. As much as I’ve maligned the morning darkness over these past few weeks, I’m taking comfort in the normalcy of a pulling in, coming inside, after a long summer of sunshine and nature’s delights.
What is it about the approach of autumn that pushes me toward reflection? Maybe I’m wrapped up in a memory, the fact that two years ago I took a big leap – out of higher education and into my own business?
As I th...
September 25, 2023
Peek Inside: “Surviving Sue” – Hide & Seek
My mom, Sue, was a tortured artist. Throughout her life she tried to soothe herself and fill the empty spaces within by leaning into her creative side, especially painting. I included a few references to her artwork in “Surviving Sue” and wrote about her apology art a few months ago.
Exploring her feelings with paint was a self-care technique for Sue, long before anyone tossed around the term “self-care”. For her, a retreat into whatever makeshift studio she concocted was like crawling...
September 24, 2023
You’re No Keanu!
If you’d ever asked me if I might write a blog post based on a purported quote from Keanu Reeves, I would’ve laughed at you. I mean…no disrespect…but it wasn’t until I rummaged around in my quote pile (mess, hoard, chaos, clutter, jumble – you pick the word you like – any/all apply) and found a gem, gifted to me from a former student, that the idea surfaced.
Tucked into a thank you card was this image of Keanu (snipped in above – apologies to whomever has the licensing rights to this ima...
September 22, 2023
A Loss of Two-Thirds
I wrote a post a few months ago about my affection for John Muir and I’m learning that when I’m disconcerted about something, even this less-than-outdoor...
September 19, 2023
Peek Inside: “Surviving Sue” – Six-Word Style
I’ve continued to compile a list of FAQs from readers of “Surviving Sue”, my memoir about my mom’s complicated life and one of the recurring queries is about building resilience. Despite my background as a counselor/therapist, I’m cautious about highlighting any one specific technique or habit that helped guide my healing journey because the process of making peace and finding emotional high ground is a deeply individual, nuanced process. As a result, I’ve been skipping this topic as I’ve ...
September 17, 2023
But Does it Make Coffee?
September 14, 2023
Little Me
Inspired by Maryanne and her beautiful blog, I learned this morning that it’s National School Picture Day. Was it designated as such because ‘throwback Thursday‘ is still a thing? I’m not sure…BUT…I loved Maryanne’s post and the sweet school picture she included.
It didn’t take much prompting from Maryanne to dig out one of my own…this one, I think is from 1972. A school picture that I liked, but my mom, Sue, had issues with because my teacher added a barrette that was not pre-approv...
September 13, 2023
Sue’s Big Satchel
At what point does an object become a character, a featured player in a story? I wondered about that the other day when a reader of “Surviving Sue” chuckled about how much she connected with the descriptions of “Sue’s big purse” or “Sue’s behemoth of a satchel” in the book. Yep, my mom’s favorite accessory was her bag du jour. She had an assortment of oversized satchel-style bags. Always with a zip top and a multitude of compartments. All the better, you see, to stow away “found objects...
