Four Corners Blog
Serving Maryland suburbs including Bethesda, Chevy Chase,
Kensington, Rockville, Silver Spring, and Takoma Park.
Social Distancing Now
It has been difficult to get clear about these decisions in the midst of divergent views and confusing information. I hope that my thoughts here can provide support and solidarity for those of you who have already taken these steps, and encouragement to others as you determine how best to respond today and this week.
Are you feeling calm?
A lot of people come to me because they don’t feel calm inside. Right now, between the holidays and the political climate, there are a lot of people not feeling calm inside. And therefore, they - more accurately, I will say we - don’t have the whole story. Oftentimes, the part of the story we’re missing is our own true voice.
#MeToo and You - Healing from Our Pain
Has #MeToo affected you or someone in your life? Are you unsure what it is all about?
The #MeToo movement has received a lot of social media attention in recent weeks. It will die down, as all news does, but the impact of bringing the issue of sexual assault and sexual harassment to the foreground will reverberate for a while, particularly among people who are personally affected.
Welcoming Whatever Arrives
I was talking with a friend over the weekend - it was Pam Holland from Mindful Decluttering and Organizing - about our lives and our work, and generally supporting one another.
As we were saying goodbye, she commented on how I had responded to her text that morning about arranging our time to talk. When she has suggested a time, I said, “Perfect!” She told me that receiving that response felt good: “I don’t know if it was the perfect time for you, or not, Hetty, but you made it work! You made it perfect!”
A time to float
A wise woman asked me this week: “Do you feel like you have arrived? Or are you still crossing the threshold?” She was referring to more than a year of my actively pushing through some major life events, including expanding my private practice, finalizing a divorce, and organizing a move, while caring for my daughter (and my senior dog!) through it all.
We were made for these times
There is a lot of uncertainty in our world right now. I am keenly aware of a feeling of insecurity both within myself and in those around me. How do we make sense of the changes in our nation’s political and economic landscape? And how might they impact our daily lives? We just don’t know. Not to mention the unknown impacts of changes, often unbidden, in our work and personal lives. That not knowing can be difficult to tolerate. But what if we are up to the task of tolerating all of this uncertainty and not-knowingness?
Tis the season to be relating
The seasonal music reminds us that “there’s no place like home for the holidays” and that “love is all around us.” It’s got me thinking about relationships, and how we can attend to them, even in the midst of this busy time of year.
Capsized!
Have you ever felt “capsized” by an event or situation in your life?
Using the metaphor of being the captain of your ship on the ocean of life: perhaps it feels as if you are sailing along, and a huge wave comes and overtakes you. Something unexpected and completely overwhelming occurs, for a few hours or even a few days. We don’t understand what just happened — we couldn’t anticipate it and it wasn’t supposed to happen, just like ships aren’t supposed to capsize.