As my mom’s Alzheimer’s progresses, and I’m faced with the loneliness of our visits, I’m reflecting on lessons she’s taught me about acceptance, and trying to stay present with her in these transformative moments in our lives. My mom’s love and nonjudgmental acceptance have prepared me to handle this long goodbye, and while it hurts, somewhere in the back of my mind, I know I will be alright. I am my mother’s daughter; she taught me through her gentle lessons to know my resilient self.

I hope this episode offers you a new perspective on handling loss and grief, sadness, and unwelcome change. I’m exploring new worlds without my mom (as I once knew her), ones with strange, rigid tulips, desolate Sunday mornings, and premonitions that foreshadow what’s to come. In this lonely place, the sounds that I most want to hear are poetry and music. I offer them to you too, as a way of sharing my views on the “hopeful acceptance of hard times.”

Welcome to my reflections from the bright side of the beat.

Want to reengage with yourself and put creative self-care back on your to-do list? Head over to my website: lettheverseflow.com and sign up for my free newsletter, the Me-Time Mixtape. Three times per month, I’ll send you 3 essential, hand-curated links/resources on creative self-care tips, tools, and strategies.

Music: All music for my podcast is sourced and licensed for use via Soundstripe.

Poem: Lost Along the Way

Songs in this episode: Thoughts Of You by Renderings; Slide by GEMM; Tai Chi Evenings by Sam Barsh; Pyaar Kee Seemaen by Cast of Characters

LTVF Season Two Music Playlist: Check out the songs that inspire me, and connect with artists from many genres who add to our collective, human soundtrack.

Related Episodes:
#2: Losing My Mother: A Catalyst for Personal Growth

#4: Sitting with Shitty Feelings

#15 Grief & Gratitude (It’s Bittersweet)

Journal Prompts:

1. What would a loved one or elder tell me to do with the struggle and hard times I am feeling right now?
2. Can I put what’s not working in my life in perspective by comparing it to what is working? What am I grateful for in this difficult moment?
3. How am I showing up for myself (and perhaps those I love) during this difficult time? How can I recognize and celebrate my resilience?

Prefer to read this episode? Read the complete episode in blog format here: https://www.lettheverseflow.com

Have you lost your fight, left your creative passions behind, and tried to journey forward without them? We can let the outside noise and the stress of our daily lives interfere with our creativity. This stress can push aside our creative impulses, reducing them to another item on our to-do list. But expressing our creative selves, through a multitude of pursuits, feeds our energy and gives us the fortitude to face life.

In this reflective episode, we’ll awaken your creative self, breathe new life into your passions and interests, and use that energy to build more purpose and meaning. Along the way, I’ll call on the fighting spirit of Muhammad Ali to guide us. Let us not forget that we can sting like a bee too, and our art and creative voice need to be heard. Let’s not silence ourselves out of fear or exhaustion, for creative projects have the power to renew us.

Welcome to my reflections from the bright side of the beat.

Want to reengage with yourself and put creative self-care back on your to-do list? Head over to my website: lettheverseflow.com and sign up for my free newsletter, the Me-Time Mixtape. Three times per month, I’ll send you 3 essential, hand-curated links/resources on creative self-care tips, tools, and strategies.

Music: All music for my podcast is sourced and licensed for use via Soundstripe.

Poem: Forward Facing

Songs in this episode: Gold by Ghost Beatz; Slide by GEMM; Weary Traveler by Falls; Drop Of The Hammer by Tony Sopiano; Pyaar Kee Seemaen by Cast of Characters

LTVF Season Two Music Playlist: Check out the songs that inspire me, and connect with artists from many genres who add to our collective, human soundtrack.

Related Episodes:
#29: Keep Your Creative Spirit Alive: Focus on the Journey

#25: Creativity Connects Us to Hope

#21: Creative Flow: Self-Care That Matters

Journal Prompts:

1. What did I enjoy doing as a child or young adult, and can I bring one of those creative activities back into my life?
2. What’s the connection between my favorite creative activities and my “why”? How does this creativity add meaning and purpose to my life?
3. If I knew I could impact the world through my creativity, how would I go about making time and space for it?

Prefer to read this episode? Read the complete episode in blog format here: https://www.lettheverseflow.com

This is my poetic ode to Utrecht and the Netherlands, a travelogue of sorts that offers musings, observations, and experiences from my two-week vacation. Yes, we saw the sights – the Kasteel de Haar in Utrecht, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Dom Tower, and the canals. But we also made connections with kind souls, curious passersby, and clergymen. We felt touched by this trip, and seen and heard. How many times can you say that?

Welcome to my reflections from the bright side of the beat.

Want to reengage with yourself and put creative self-care back on your to-do list? Head over to lettheverseflow.com and sign up for my free newsletter, the Me-Time Mixtape. Three times per month, I’ll send you 3 essential, hand-curated links/resources on creative self-care tips, tools, and strategies.

Music: All music for my podcast is sourced and licensed for use via Soundstripe.

Poem: Precious

Songs in this episode: Solar Wav by GEMM; Slide by GEMM; Boardwalk Chill by Matt Wigton; Pyaar Kee Seemaen by Cast of Characters

Resources:
Kasteel de Haar

The Dom Toren

The Oude Hortus

Meet Vincent: the Painter of Sunflowers

5 Things You Need to Know About Van Gogh’s Sunflowers

Related Episodes:
#19: Lessons from My Trip to Morocco: We Travel the World Through Our Eyes

Journal Prompts:
1) Write about a summer experience that made you rethink an old belief or thought. What made you think “I hadn’t thought about things that way before.”
2) Make a list of 10 of your favorite summer things, people, or places. As you make the list feel gratitude for each one.
3) Look at a photo taken over the summer and write about it. How did you feel? Who were you with, and what’s most memorable about that experience?

Prefer to read this episode? Read the complete episode in blog format here: https://www.lettheverseflow.com