Cheryl Richardson's Blog, page 23

Guardrails, the self-care secret that works

The last week has been a stressful one being on call and a point person for two family members in the hospital, one in ICU. When the situation unfolded, my husband Michael sat me down and reminded me of an agreement we made when we lost my Dad and our first pet, Poupon.

“This is going to be tough so we need to stick together. We have to take good care of ourselves so we can be there for others, so let’s remind each other when we forget.”

When we finished talking, I went off by myself and made a ...

What if this is what it’s all about?

Last night, I sat on our veranda staring at the late summer flowers in our garden when a hummingbird arrived at the feeder. I’ve been watching for them, knowing each day is a gift because they’re about to embark on the long journey south to a warmer climate.

I always feel a little sad when I no longer see the hummingbirds hovering over the flowers. They’re such a source of joy all summer long and they remind me to pay attention, to slow down, and to linger in the garden for a while rather than r...

Handling the big stuff

In the morning when I come downstairs I let our cats, Wednesday and Berty, out of their room as I get ready to feed them. Rather than risk chronic back and shoulder problems (something I struggled with after letting Poupon sleep in our bed), we’re doing things differently this time. Knowing good sleep is far too important to our health, we took the advice of Dr. Jeff Nichol, a veterinarian and animal behavior specialist, and set the cats up in a room of their own. They spend the night together, ...

Are you here?

After more than a year of meditating every day, I’m still amazed at how often I’m somewhere else rather than where I am at any given moment. This morning, while chopping Brussel sprouts, I visited London, had a one-sided disagreement with a former colleague, made a mental list of chores that needed to be done around the house, and crafted plans for a holiday party with my family.

And that was all in the first few minutes!

One of the things a daily meditation practice has given me is a front-row ...

Time to tickle your funny bone

Early this year, when my husband Michael published a new book, Postcards From the Cosmic Club of Everlasting Souls (a memoir about love, loss and the afterlife), I suggested he start an Instagram account. Not one for being in the public eye, he prefers to create art that makes people laugh and think (usually in the form of cartoons), so an image-focused social media platform made sense.

This morning, as the storm in the Northeast does its thing, I scrolled through his account and found myself la...

Don’t let your thoughts disturb you

I have a small chalkboard hanging on a wall in my kitchen with the words, “Calm Inner State,” printed in bold, decorative letters thanks to Michael who has a gift for making words look like art. He doesn’t know it, but every time I walk by that sign I smile and silently thank him for supporting my spiritual practice.

The “Calm Inner State” sign serves as an anchor, a reminder of what, to me, is the most important work I can focus on at this time in my life. Each day, when faced with challenges ...

The little voice inside

My friend Melissa reminded me that the Perseid meteor shower peaks this week on August 12th and 13th in the northern hemisphere so I thought I’d share a blog I wrote a few years back about watching the night sky.

If you’d like to see the show, look toward the Perseus constellation. I use an app called Sky Guide to make it easy to find.

~*~

It was 10:30pm when the oppressive summer heat finally gave way to cool night air that kept the mosquitoes at bay. I plopped down on a zero-gravity chair in t...

Feed yourself well

She was encouraging and optimistic during our first meeting. Not at all what I expected knowing that Alia, my new nutrition coach, had reviewed a week’s worth of my food diary in preparation for our first session. “You’re a pretty healthy eater,” Alia explained as she reviewed my log. “You should feel good about that.”

Alia is unique. She’s a Naturopathic Doctor, a skilled nutritionist, and a medical chef who’s passionate about helping people to use food as medicine. More importantly, she’s gent...

Meet your inner saboteurs

After more than a year of waiting and wondering, we’re launching registration for our next Self Care by the Sea retreat this week once we’ve notified those on the waitlist first. After all we’ve been through (and are still going through), I look forward to gathering together to talk about a whole new level of self-care, post-pandemic.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned during lockdown, it’s that the key to meaningful change is having the support of others to stay focused and on track. As I mentio...

The twists and turns of growth and change

I stepped off the scale and stared at the lever pointing to the numbers reflecting my new weight. How long have I dreamt about this moment, I thought to myself? Months? Years? What made me stop wasting time on diets that ignored the truth of what was needed to finally feel at peace in my own skin?

I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’ve done to move into a body that feels like home and the truth is the journey has been complex and multi-dimensional. There are no magic answers or quick fixes, as...