August 2022
🐰🐰 SPECIAL, ORDINARY MOMENTS
"The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer... like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning."― Natalie Babbitt
The only constant is change...
I struggled a bit with deciding on a topic for this month's newsletter so I went back and re-read all of them since the first one which was written on March 13, 2020, in response to the anxiety that gripped most of us as we were seeing covid begin to spread and our jobs and schools were shutting down.
An excerpt from the March 13, 2020 newsletter:
Please be sure to stay connected with your friends and loved ones through phone, text, video chat, and social media; both to check on their well being and to ensure your own social needs are being met. Take care to maintain as normal a routine as possible, and be sure to get some fresh air, enough sleep, healthy meals and snacks, physical activity and stretching (at least 10 minutes a day), and stay hydrated! If your work or school routine has been interrupted, use the found time to work on a creative project, catch up on reading/podcasts/TV binging, or complete some items on your to do list that have been put off for a rainy day.
You have probably heard me repeat some variation of those words 100 times since then. I have tried to follow them myself - I won't ask you to do something that I am not willing to do. But as I read those words it hit me how much my own routine has been disrupted and the impact covid has had on my jobs and how I spend my free time. I am fortunate to have had a bubble of friends throughout to keep my social needs met as safely as possible and I do stay active. But work has gotten much harder, and so finding balance has been a challenge most days. Like most of us I have struggled to stay afloat through all the surges and transitions and backslides and upsetting news. I think what has helped me to stay positive through (most of) the past 30 months has been being very mindful of the positives: celebrating small successes, watching the sun rise each morning, appreciating the kindness of strangers, and cherishing the connections I have that are built on genuine care for each other. I have been in awe of the strength and resilience you have demonstrated through this time, and have celebrated each of your successes as I know how hard earned they are.
As we enter this new month and the last lazy days of summer, I am committing to finding some balance - getting enough rest, finishing up some creative projects that have been left for a rainy day, and slowing things down so I can enjoy the sunrises and sunsets and the special, ordinary moments in between. I hope that you can do the same.
Unique & special August holidays: (http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/august.htm)
Some of my favorites:
National month for: Peaches, Wellness, Black Business, and Happiness Happens
August 2 National Ice Cream Sandwich Day & National Coloring Book Day (perfect stress relief combination)
August 9 National Book Lovers Day
August 13 International Left-Handers Day
August 15 National Relaxation Day
August 26 National Dog Day
August 27 National Just Because Day
I'm grateful to know you and I thank you for letting me be a part of your journey. Please let me know if there is anything more I can be doing to support you.
“Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.” - Sam Keen
Some housekeeping items:
Scheduling:
I will be taking a few days off toward the end of the month (August 23 and 28-30). If our regular session time will be impacted, let's talk about choosing a different day.
Summer brings warm weather and more activities on your social calendar. I believe that family, friends, and fun are priorities in our lives, and am happy to reschedule our session times when you have something enjoyable to do (or otherwise important, like studying or a project). Please remember to cancel or reschedule your appointments with as much advance notice as possible so that we can reschedule and I can offer the session time to someone else.
Crisis Numbers:
I recommend adding these to your contacts in your phone. If you don't need them, you might be able to share them with someone who does.
Suicide Prevention Lifeline: the new 988 line is live! 988 is the new Suicide Prevention Lifeline number. It's exciting to have an easy-to-remember number available to access crisis support quickly. For more information: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/current-events/the-lifeline-and-988/. The old number remains active as well: 1-800-273-8255
Text crisis line... you can send a text to 741741 and just write HOME and someone will get right back to you. https://www.crisistextline.org/text-us/
Trans Lifeline: (877) 565-8860
