A Bird in the Hand...

Folks, it's been pitifully long since I faithfully posted. Forgive me. If anyone is still following, I promise to do better at updating at least once a month. This blog got pushed to the back burner last spring when I began working on opening a private practice with 3 other friends & clinicians. With that being said, we named ourselves Sparrow House Counseling. (our website should be up & running in t-minus next week or so) We have our official Open House this week and I thought I'd show you the wooden sign we hung in our waiting room yesterday (forgive the iPhone photo quality):


I love our logo. Many, many thanks to Switch Creative Group and Kimi Dallman, also of former K-Life/Kanakuk fame, for handling our branding, logo, website and stationary. We could not have begun to market ourselves out of a paper bag.

Currently, I'm working on finding a fun collection of prints to be hung above my desk. I'm used to the classic ones you see on the walls of some therapists' offices: the kitten posters admonishing you to "Hang in There!" or the ubiquitous Thomas Kincaid paintings. I think my style is eclectic and that I'd rather my clients get a few snapshots into my head. Here's one that's going up:



I ordered several of those. I also have a great Hammerpress print, a little bird perched atop a cowboy boot, that will go up. Many thanks to Missy Williams who has held my hand along the way. She handled everything from choosing our paint colors to doing our space planning. I'll post a photo of my office once the dust settles (that only takes about 6 months, right) so you can feel the zen.

On Managing Anxiety

Eden says it better than I can today.

For what it's worth, I believe that managing your breath has quite a bit to do with overcoming anxiety. A wise man, Mr. Bill Orender, taught me about deep breathing exercises about 6 years ago when I was suffering from panic attacks. I bet you don't realize how shallow you are breathing all day long, as you drive around town, running late from errand to errand and cranking in the caffeine to keep your system hoppin'.

I'm also a firm believer in yoga. It's not a religion for me - it's a workout in detaching from the physical pain of my body and the emotional pain trapped in my breath and my mind.*

*someone's gonna read this and go, "oh brother, it all started when she began reading those awful Harry Potter books! Pagan!"

Go Here for Therapy

I know. It's been over a month and a half. For shame. It's just that my job requires so much thinking. And words. And depth. And I have nothing left to put here when I'm home. Also? My daughter walks and (tries to) talk now! So blogging has been pushed waaaay down on that To-do list.

Due to all of the above, I've also stopped reading most of the blogs I used to keep up with. But this morning while Davy was busy not napping and squealing loudly from her bed, I wandered over to a blog I read every once in awhile. It never disappoints.

Matt lost his wife the day after she gave birth to their daughter, Madeline. I've kept up with him on and off and spent a little time reading about their extended stay in India - where he first proposed to his wife. I wiped away lots of tears today and thought, Grief is truly a Journey.