Day 9 #HaikuChallenge19 ... Perception

January 9, 2019 Pamela Ressler

beginning or end

often woven together

it’s our perception

Day 8 #HaikuChallenge19...Hamsa Socks

January 8, 2019 Pamela Ressler

hamsa socks today

evil eye body armor

I am ready world

Day 7 #HaikuChallenge19 ... Textures

January 7, 2019 Pamela Ressler

textures of winter

soft, hard, sharp smooth, compact, loose

nature’s resilience

Day 6 #HaikuChallenge19...Until December

January 6, 2019 Pamela Ressler

packing up Christmas

memories tucked in a box

until December

Day 5 #HaikuChallenge19...What Kids Remember

January 5, 2019 Pamela Ressler

morning wake-up call

we’re bright-eyed and bushy tailed

what kids remember

Day 4 #HaikuChallenge19...Between Night and Day

January 4, 2019 Pamela Ressler

between night and day

a pause before jumping in

savoring this time

Day 3 #HaikuChallenge19...Patterns

January 3, 2019 Pamela Ressler

patterns emerging

made visible by snowflakes

changing as I watch

Day 2 #HaikuChallenge19...Patina of Age

January 2, 2019 Pamela Ressler

patina of age

strong, sturdy through the seasons

looks often deceive

Day 1 #HaikuChallenge19...New Year, New Journal

January 1, 2019 Pamela Ressler

new year, new journal

pristine possibilities

hope and fear collide

Get Ready for #HaikuChallenge19

December 30, 2018 Pamela Ressler

Morsels of Mindfulness

#HaikuChallenge19

It’s that time of year, a season filled with anticipation of new beginnings. For the past several years I have hosted a Haiku Challenge as a way to jump start mindfulness in the new year. I consider haiku morsels of mindfulness…delicious in their simplicity and awareness of the present moment. You do not need to consider yourself a poet to create haiku…and you don’t even need to follow the formula you probably learned in elementary school — three lines made up of 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables. Modern haiku do not need the formal structure that we are familiar with, but certainly can be written in this pattern. They do need to be written in the present tense as an observation that evokes awareness, thought or emotion. I love the description I once read…”a haiku is a poem that can be said in one breath”.

Come play in the haiku sandbox this January with like-minded folks! I will be writing one haiku a day for the month of January and posting them on my blog (StressResources.com/blog) Facebook (StressResources) Twitter (@pamressler) and Instagram (@StressResources) using the hashtags #HaikuChallenge19. Feel free to join in each day or only occasionally…be sure to share the hashtag #HaikuChallenge19 with friends…and let’s get writing!

Song for Autumn

October 4, 2018 Pamela Ressler

Song for Autumn

In the deep fall
don't you imagine the leaves think how
comfortable it will be to touch
the earth instead of the
nothingness of air and the endless
freshets of wind? And don't you think
the trees themselves, especially those with mossy,
warm caves, begin to think
of the birds that will come - six, a dozen - to sleep
inside their bodies? And don't you hear
the goldenrod whispering goodbye,
the everlasting being crowned with the first
tuffets of snow? The pond
vanishes, and the white field over which
the fox runs so quickly brings out
its blue shadows. And the wind pumps its
bellows. And at evening especially,
the piled firewood shifts a little,
longing to be on its way.
~Mary Oliver

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons...conjuring up memories of the clean slate of a new school year, along with the blazing beauty and distinctive tastes and scents of fall. Nature doesn't whisper but shouts for us to notice her in this season...a perfect reminder that mindfulness is always available if we simply pause and notice.

During this season, sandwiched between the extremes of summer and winter, how might you bring a bit more awareness, a bit more mindfulness into your everyday? For me, it is finding that one bit of beauty each day that i can focus on with my senses...perhaps it is a maple leaf that is the most brilliant shade of orange, or maybe the distinctive scent of smoke from a wood stove, or the anticipation of the crunch and sweet juice from a freshly picked apple. In our busyness, we often forget to harness the power of one bit of beauty...autumn shakes us awake to notice, if we let her.

Creating Calm within Crisis

August 15, 2018 Pamela Ressler

Screen Shot 2018-08-14 at 8.17.38 PM.png

"And one has to understand that braveness is not the absence of fear but rather the strength to keep on going forward despite the fear."-Paulo Coelho

Perhaps you were as drawn to the news reports of twelve soccer players and their coach trapped in a cave in Thailand this summer, like me. A miraculous story of survival, and of the power of the practice of meditation in times of crisis.

As we learned upon their rescue, the boys' coach, Ekapol Chantawong, had studied vipassana or mindfulness meditation as a youth in a Buddhist monastery. Under the most challenging of circumstances, he taught his young charges to observe, to slow their breath, and to remain calm in the face of the unknown. Through their meditation practice, they conserved oxygen, and avoided panic despite lack of food and uncertainty of rescue. Not many of us will have the need to practice mindfulness trapped in a flooded cave for two weeks; however we will be faced with obstacles, fear and challenges in our lives. How will we meet these challenges...with calm or chaos? The choice and the power is ours.

Coping with Scanxiety

July 25, 2018 Pamela Ressler

Screen Shot 2018-07-25 at 11.52.21 AM.png

I work with building resiliency...how do we work with the anxiety of the unknown, fear of the future which can become particularly acute when waiting for results of medical tests or procedures. While modern medicine and science has given us miricles it has also given us a particular type of anxiety...now dubbed "scanxiety". Scanxiety, while most frequently associated with cancer, is also prevelant with other chronic, progressive diseases. I was honored to be asked by my friend and colleague, Marie Ennis-O'Connor, to share a few of my thoughts on tips for coping with scanxiety for her excellent post: Coping with Scanxiety: Practical Tips from Cancer Patients

Surrendering to Summer

July 9, 2018 Pamela Ressler

"If you surrender completely to the moments as they pass, you live more richly those moments." ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Summertime is here! Do you find it is hard to change your pace and make the summer flow differently than the other seasons? Does surrendering to summer feel scary or sublime? "Surrendering" as in the Anne Morrow Lindbergh's quote is full of intention and courage...can we make a mindful choice to be present a bit more this summer?

Here are a few quick and simple suggestions for more mindful moments this summer:

1. Notice a sunset

2. Enjoy an ice cream cone

3. Paint a rock

4. Pick a wildflower and bring it home to enjoy

5. Listen to a birdsong

I would love to hear about your summertime moments of mindfulness -- what do you do to surrender to summer?