Cheryl Richardson's Blog, page 12

Feeling anxious and afraid? Meet “The Noticer”

The day began on a high note. I felt rested and happy as I placed the last pillow on the bed, tucked in the corners of the duvet, and switched off the lamp before leaving the room. As I walked downstairs, I noticed sunlight streaming through the deck doors and felt even better. There’s nothing like a sunny autumn morning in New England.

When I stepped into the kitchen, though, everything changed. A memory popped into my head of a conversation I’d had the day before while at the grocery store. I ...

In recovery mode

After bragging to friends and family over the last year that I hadn’t been sick since long before Covid, I’ve come down with the flu. This photo of Wednesday pretty much sums up how I feel.

I’ll be back next week feeling much better, I have no doubt.

Love,

Cheryl

P.S. – Learn new ways to take good care of yourself by listening to my audiobook, “Self Care for the Wisdom Years.” You can learn more here.

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How do we live with heartbreak?

I woke at dawn and stared out the window at cotton-white clouds floating across a vibrant blue sky. Look at that color, I thought to myself. What a gorgeous start to the day!

Then I remembered Israel and Palestine and Ukraine and the horrendous acts of violence committed by terrorists and quickly closed my eyes against the pain.

How will I make tea when terrified children are dying at the hands of madmen? How will I feed the cats with my usual sing-song welcome to the day as bombs drop on helple...

Stairway to heaven

The restaurant was noisy but festive and we’d just been seated at a high-top table near the window when a waitress came to take our drink order. Michael and I were having dinner with a colleague and his wife, Martha, a new acquaintance.

During our dinner conversation, Martha happened to mention her love of painting.

“I love a winter scene and can stand for hours on a mat in the snow painting what I see,” she declared.

Have you always painted, I asked?

“No,” she said, “Three years ago I could bar...

Finding peace in a storm

I could barely catch my breath as I made my way to the kitchen to feed the cats their breakfast. I had just received some distressing news that pressed several old buttons and sent me tumbling back in time to all the familiar places where I’d felt the feeling before. My body felt like a storm – tight chest, shallow breathing, rigid arms, heart slammed shut. Desperate to release the anxiety, I picked up the phone to call a loved one but got voicemail. Three times. So, I hung up, took a few deep b...

For those who have loved and lost

The hummingbirds are still here! I yelled to Michael as I ran to the window to get a closer look. I was rereading a passage from Kris Carr’s new book, “I Am Not a Mourning Person” when I heard the familiar buzzing in the garden. One minute I’m wiping tears from my face thinking about my own Dad’s death as Kris writes about the final moments with hers, and the next I’m filled with joy at the unexpected surprise.

Life is strange. Nearly every day we’re challenged to strengthen the emotional muscle...

Who am I now?

We were weaving in and out of city traffic on our way to a business meeting when my friend and colleague, Fred, asked for an update on what I’ve been up to the last few months. It had been a while since we’d seen each other and he was curious about what I was working on now.

In my head, I thought to say Well, I’m semi-retired and enjoying my life, but I stopped myself before the words passed my lips. Instead, I talked about working on a new book, my upcoming retreat at Omega, and the small, pro-...

The beginning of the end

I sat by the window like a little girl on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa Claus to arrive in his sleigh. All day long I’d been on the lookout for hummingbirds because it had been two days since I’d last seen one in the garden. It’s the same deal every year. As soon as Labor Day goes by, my mind starts bothering me with thoughts of summer coming to an end and the hummingbirds disappearing for another season.

As I looked out over the pots of salvia and blood-orange vermillionaire – plants the hum...

Celebrate your success

As the summer winds down here in the States and we enjoy the last holiday weekend of the season, I had intended to share a journal entry from Waking Up in Winter: In Search of What Really Matters at Midlife after a reader emailed to say she was rereading the book now that fall was in the air (the book starts in September and autumn becomes a metaphor for midlife truth-telling and change). However, when I pulled the book out to search for an entry to include, I fell into my former life and kept r...

How to make a first date great

“How do I make a first date great?” This was the question posed to our group sitting around a table at a post-wedding brunch. There were five women – friends each representing a different decade, and Alex, a bright, young man, excited to be having dinner the following evening with a gal he’d met online.

Taking full advantage of the female focus group joining him for lunch, Alex sat back and listened closely. We were anxious to help this earnest 27-year-old make a good impression, so no sooner wa...