Cheryl Richardson's Blog, page 29

The art of homeschooling you

Over the last few months, as the pandemic continues to dramatically change the way we live, I’ve been using this time to develop new skills, build new habits, and homeschool myself in topics of interest like the science of consciousness, physics, and cooking.

This week, I wanted to share my enthusiasm for learning by telling you about a few favorite things in the hopes that it piques your interest and takes you on an unexpected journey.

First, I wanted to offer a quick and easy recipe I made las...

You’re invited to steal this

Last night I went to bed feeling anxious for the world. This morning, I woke remembering who I am. I sat up, opened my journal to the last page, and read a note I wrote to myself a few months ago.

Please feel free to steal this.

Sweetheart,

When you feel hopeless, frightened, or like the world is out of control, remember:

No one can influence how you feel inside without your permission.

You can choose to listen to the insanity of your frightened mind (which is well-trained to convince you that ...

How to be a good human

As the pandemic picks up steam in some parts of the country and we continue with restrictions, it seems we’re being invited to make a relationship with uncertainty whether we want to or not.

As a result, I’ve made the decision to cancel our October retreat and have reserved new dates for next year – April 9th -11th and October 22nd -24th. Let’s hope all is well by then. If you’d like, you can put yourself on the waitlist here so you’ll know when information becomes available.

These are tough ti...

Interdependence Day

This morning I made the mistake of looking at the news. I was sitting in the living room, enjoying a cup of tea when I turned on the TV to see what was happening in the world.

It only took a minute before I clicked the off button and left the room.

Like many of you, I’m affected by the pain and suffering that’s occurring all around us. The damage to the earth, the pandemic, and its impact, the lack of humanity in some of the people in public and private institutions and organizations.

There’s so...

See the best show in town

Yesterday morning, while cleaning the upstairs bathroom, I caught a flash of something moving in the field in our backyard.  As I walked closer to the window, I saw a deer off in the distance munching on the leaves of a sumac tree. All of a sudden, she turned her head and I quickly realized that she was a he when I caught sight of his soft, velvety antlers.

I ran downstairs to find my camera and when I got back to the window, not only did I find the buck, I found this:

I was so excited, I could...

A walk down memory lane

Every morning I start my day with a ritual that feels good. I wake up and before I do anything else, I head out to the deck to care for the birds and animals that share our yard.

I fill the feeders, place homemade suet in the holder, and clean and fill the giant bowl that serves as a birdbath.

The red-winged blackbirds, bright yellow goldfinches, cardinals, sparrows, and more swoop overhead waiting as I prepare their meal. The squirrels and chipmunks stand guard at the edge of the woods ready to...

Keep looking up

I was sitting on the deck writing this morning, in a small corner still blanketed by shade, when I looked up just in time to see two Great Blue Herons take flight from a nearby oak tree. As I watched their long, flowy wings carry them over the house, I heard myself say out loud: God, I’m so glad I looked up!

I’m so glad I looked up.

Funny, I thought as they passed out of sight, this is my focus during these turbulent times. Looking up. Not in the “be optimistic” kind of way – although I believe...

Here’s the action I’m focused on right now

Transformation is afoot.  There are big changes happening in the world on both seen and unseen levels.

During these challenging times, as I talk with those who are angry, frightened, anxious, reactive and often emotionally regressed, I’m making a point to focus my time and attention on doing one thing:

I listen.

I listen carefully and deeply.

I listen without plotting a response.

I listen while holding my own reactions in check.

I listen without needing to teach, inform, or inspire.

I listen for...

Holding the tension of the opposites

I’ve spent the last three hours trying to write this blog but I’d rather shut down the computer and take this week off.

I want to be a voice of reason but I’m not feeling very reasonable. I’m feeling frustrated and conflicted. One moment I want to write about racism and rage and the next about how crazy it is to think we can open up stores and restaurants and simply go back to normal.

Whatever normal was…

While I’d like to write something wise that helps you to believe that all will be well with...

Do this and everything will be more than okay

For the last two months I’ve been talking about self-care in turbulent times with friends and family, employees of the companies I support, and Facebook and Zoom audiences from around the world. I’ve offered strategies for working effectively from home, ways to calm anxiety, sleep hygiene tips, and how best to deal with the influx of video warnings, news stories, and medical advice that fill our inboxes day and night.

I usually finish my conversations with the following message:

You are a soul. ...