Archive for the ‘mental health’ Category
Posted in mental health on January 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Posted in mental health on January 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Hope, Hospice and Joanna Macy
Posted in mental health, tagged activism, environmentalism, Hope, Joanna Macy on July 13, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Joanna Macy is currently in hospice, and not expected to be with us for much longer. The world will be losing a profound voice for ecological and social justice with her passing. Renowned for her groundbreaking work in systems theory and deep ecology, Macy has inspired countless individuals to transform despair into action through her teachings and workshops. Her ability to weave together insights from Buddhist philosophy and modern science provided a framework for understanding our interconnectedness with the earth upon which we all depend. As a prolific writer and speaker, she’s addressed critical issues such as nuclear threats, environmental degradation, and the deep grief associated with planetary loss. The absence of her wisdom will leave a significant void in the ongoing struggle for a sustainable future, while her legacy will continue to resonate with those of us seeking hope in the face of overwhelming challenges. May her extraordinary life continue to be a beacon to us, we ordinary people, to hold onto hope, so vital not only for warding off despair, but for fostering resilience and igniting change. May we, for the sake of all who share this beautiful planet (and for those not yet born) commit ourselves to taking meaningful action, remembering that our choices today shape the world of tomorrow.
So much of what Joanna Macy has said and written has touched and taught me, far too much to even begin to distill within the context of a blog post, so I’ll simply leave you with this, “If the world is to be healed through human efforts, I am convinced it will be by ordinary people, people whose love for this life is even greater than their fear.”
Hello Again
Posted in mental health, tagged parent and adult children, parenting adult children on June 9, 2023| Leave a Comment »
I watched an excellent video today by one of my favorite wisdom seekers – Gabor Mate. Daniel Mate, his oldest son, accompanied Gabor. The two focused on the relationship between adult children and their parents, providing insights for both. If you’ve never listened to Gabor Mate before or read one of his books (or even if you have), he and his son are well worth a listen. Daniel and Gabor have written a soon-to-be-published book together, “Hello Again: A Fresh Start for Parents and Their Adult Children” and will be producing a podcast as well.
The Enormous Power of Our Choices
Posted in mental health, tagged Choices, healing on December 12, 2022| Leave a Comment »
I watched an excellent TED talk this morning by Caroline Myss that I encourage you to check out. Here’s one of the gems that she offers, “Every single choice we make is either going to enhance the spirit or drain it. Every day, we’re either giving ourselves power or taking it away.” And here’s another, “Never blame another person for your personal choices – you are still the one who must live out the consequences of your choices.”
On the Night That She Was Born
Posted in mental health on January 24, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Back When You Were Older
Posted in mental health on December 13, 2021| Leave a Comment »
For Kevin, my husband, and for all of those who’ve felt trapped in a world that was too small for them.
The Woman in the Mirror
Posted in mental health, tagged aging, beauty on July 30, 2021| Leave a Comment »
What do I see when I peer into the mirror? I see change. I see experience. I see the Byram eyes. I see the wrinkles around my mouth. Age spots. I see a neck that is crinkling and lines in my forehead. I don’t see ‘me.’ At least the person in the mirror doesn’t feel like me. She’s not the woman that I saw for most of my adult life. She’s not the pretty, soft eyed woman that could turn heads. The one who seldom wore makeup and simply trusted her natural beauty. In all honesty, while not quite a stranger, this creature who looks back at me and whom I recognize as me still seems somehow unfamiliar. I most definitely haven’t caught up to this face yet.
This woman in the mirror doesn’t appear as approachable as the one that I had the luxury of taking for granted for so long. She doesn’t look as soft or as gentle as the one who lives inside of me. This one looks like she’d probably suffer no fools and would tolerate no back talk.
I direct her to smile, and she immediately obliges. Still, no matter how hard we try, she and I, that smile doesn’t convince me that she’s, well, truly me. Could this be what experience and life wisdom does to a face? The question surprises me. After all, it’s been my lifelong mission – the acquisition of wisdom. Am I offering up a psychic trade? Beauty for wisdom? Or maybe I’m merely acknowledging a simple truth. You don’t get to approach wisdom without traveling a significant distance, suffering lots of fools (including your own foolhardiness), and encountering (and even embracing) so many (often painful) opportunities for growth. And all of those take a toll on a face.
What kind words can I say about this face before me? If I’m truthful, I need to admit that no such words come to mind at the moment. Clearly, I haven’t made peace with this face. I miss the old one. I really miss the old one. And yet, I prefer this version of the woman who claims the face in my mirror. She’s so much happier and, yes, wiser than the younger, prettier one.
And now I gaze at the woman looking calmly back at me, smile at her warmly, and send her love.
What Makes Me Happy
Posted in mental health, tagged happiness on May 23, 2021| Leave a Comment »
I’ve decided to write a quick list of what makes me happy. Here goes:
What makes me happy?
Clean cotton underwear
Clean sheets
A freshly cleaned house
The smell of coffee in the morning
The smell of lilacs in May
The smell of apple crisp baking
The wind calling the waves onto the shore
Trees gently dancing in the breeze
That same breeze caressing my face on a hot day
The astounding colors of Autumn
A bright and brilliant starry night
A field of wildflowers
Grapenut hot fudge Sundays with extra nuts
The cry of a loon on Pocasset lake
Floating in Mill pond
A stroll through Detweiller’s or Trader Joes
A meditative walk at Thorncraig
Perched on the rocks at Reid
A good book
A delicious meal
An uplifting lecture
My daughter’s face
My grandchildren’s delight
My son-in-law’s laughter
My husband’s embrace
A heart to heart talk
A visit with a dear friend
A snuggle with a happy dog
Communing with a butterfly, a bird, a tree
A full refrigerator
A full bookcase
A full moon
A full heart
What makes you happy?
What Gives Me Hope
Posted in mental health, tagged COVID, COVID Poem, Hope on January 19, 2021| Leave a Comment »
In preparing for “Meeting 2021 with Gratitude, Hope, and Intention,” a brief workshop that I’ll be offering tomorrow, I came across a poem that I’d written in the early spring of last year when we’d lost 46,000 to COVID-19.
Today it’s official, 400,000 have now lost their lives to COVID, and it strikes me that while there are over 350,000 reasons more to despair then when I wrote the poem, we also have so very many reasons to hope.
What Gives Me Hope
“The old Maple outside of my window has started to bud,
And the loons have begun their lonely calling.
There have been muskrats spotted coming out of their dens,
and the red-winged blackbirds have returned from southern skies.
Spring keeps her promise once again this year,
that what appears dormant or even dead
can rise again.
And yet not one of the more than 46,000 Americans
lost to COVID in these last days of winter
will be returning.
Still, while the death toll rises,
from Florida to Thailand
endangered turtles have built more nests
on the beach than in the past 20 years
and dolphins swim
in the canals of Venice.
Italians serenade one another from their balconies
and stuffed animals, candles and images of rainbows
are placed in windows for the world’s children.
Hundreds of Thousands in Europe
form a volunteer army sworn to
soothe, feed and comfort both neighbors and strangers.
And though COVID-19 makes it harder to breathe,
satellite images reveal that folks
in Italy and India can breathe easier.
A Spanish Doctor pleads for letters
to encourage and soothe the ill
and the dying,
And to his amazement,
tens of thousands of them come pouring in.
Young children in cities who have never seen the night stars
gaze up in wonder at them now.
Coyotes wander down a Chicago street.
And on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day
a young Indian boy who has never ventured beyond his village
encounters the Himalayas, long obscured by smog, for the first time.
And so, while I sit in the dark holding despair in one hand,
as the days lengthen and the warmth returns,
I cradle hope in the other.
Tammie Fowles
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