Author: Mary Lou Logsdon

The Cost of Loneliness

“In the short term if I feel loneliness, it’s like any other biological signals. It’s like hunger or thirst. It’s alerting me that something that’s critical for my survival is missing. ” —Vivek Murthy I suppose it was inevitable. I thought I was past the possibility. We were done with Covid—a story to tell our …

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Moving

“If we were meant to stay in one place, we would have roots instead of feet.” ― author Rachel Wolchin Moving. Moving on. Moving through. On the move. I’m moving. Moving from my home of 22 years. I’ve been here a generation. It is time for me to move on and pass the house to another …

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Awaiting Awe

I know it’s retreat time when I skitter from one activity to the next, squeezing one more thing in the five minutes between my last activity and the next. My life moves at the pace of a rushing river rather than meandering stream. Yup, time to go offline for a while. I am reading the …

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Whose Problem Is This?

“Allowing others to suffer the consequences of their own actions, without enabling them, is the best motivation for them to undertake the difficult task of change.” ― Darlene Lancer I remember the freedom I felt when I considered the question: Whose problem is this? The problem wasn’t mine, though it felt like mine. I was the one …

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Enhancing Well-being

Well-being is “a set of skills that can be learned and cultivated over time, just like learning to play a musical instrument or riding a bike.” The Center for Healthy Mind Here we are again, another new, fresh, unopened year ahead. Like a new baby, it arrives with its own temperament, its own spirit, its own …

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Bumpy Holidays

“If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships – the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace.” Franklin D. Roosevelt November and December bring a variety of holiday festivities featuring food laden tables shared with family and friends. Hallmark paints a …

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Currents of Change

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance. —Alan Watts I live seven blocks from the edge of a bluff that was left standing by a larger, older, and mightier Mississippi River than now flows along its banks. These sandstone bluffs continue …

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Brain Health

“The brain can be continuously and consistently enriched throughout your life no matter your age or access to resources.”  ― Sanjay Gupta, Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age Where did I leave my keys? Why did I come into this room? What was it that I wanted at the grocery store? I have a …

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Retreat Revisited

The Phoenix · Retreat Revisited Within you there is a stillness and sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself. —Hermann Hesse I love retreat time. It renews my spirit, refreshes my mind, and relaxes my body. Haven’t the last two years felt like an emotional roller coaster? COVID, politics, war, …

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Minding the Mind

The Phoenix · Minding the Mind “Mindfulness allows you to live deeply every moment that is given to you to live.” Thich Nhat Hanh Zen Buddhist master, teacher, and writer Thich Nhat Hanh died in January of this year at the age of 95. He introduced many Westerners to the practice of mindfulness and the …

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