Garden Paths Walking through a garden is a cleansing experience that allows me to leave the world behind. My pace and breathing slow as I become one with the natural world. I often go to the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona, enjoying its transformation throughout the year. Each time I walk a garden path,…… Continue reading Garden Contemplation
Blog
Being Grateful For Who You Are
Copyright Jennifer Mullins I was looking for a document the other day when I opened this letter of gratitude I wrote to myself in 2019 by mistake. I don’t remember why I wrote it, but I forgot about it. I’m glad I found it because it showed me where I was two years ago. It’s…… Continue reading Being Grateful For Who You Are
Meditation
Copyright Jennifer Mullins Grief took my breath away. My overwhelming emotions made it hard to get a deep breath. This, in turn, increased my anxiety, which soon became a constant companion. A few months after Mike died, I ended up in the ER, sure I’d had a heart attack. My tests showed a healthy heart,…… Continue reading Meditation
Books That Inspire
Copyright Jennifer Mullins Books have played an essential role in my life. I used to love mysteries until Mike died, and then the thought of dealing with death was too much. Also, they didn’t capture the grittiness of emotions that you go through when someone you love dies. Instead, I started reading books by people…… Continue reading Books That Inspire
Coping With a Chronic Illness
Vestibular Self Portrait The top three grief experiences in order are the death of a child, spouse, and parent. The pain of my husband’s death is part of my DNA. But there is other grief that we encounter. One of them comes with developing and living with a chronic condition. On May 27, 2020, amid…… Continue reading Coping With a Chronic Illness
Exercise: Stress Reliever
One of the things that I knew would be important in dealing with the stress of grief was exercise. I also knew that it would have to be something I could do year-round since Phoenix summers are too hot for me to exercise outside. I decided an exercise bike would be a good choice, but…… Continue reading Exercise: Stress Reliever
Accepting What You Cannot Change
Just the Three of Us I switched phone carriers and then got a new phone in the last few months. Both times, I lost recordings that I can’t replace. I had to learn to make peace with the things that I could not change. My dad had called and usually left a message for me…… Continue reading Accepting What You Cannot Change
Life is a Both/And Proposition
Copyright Both/And Jennifer Mullins My counselor is having me read Loving Bravely by Alexandra H. Solomon, Ph.D. Each chapter has an assignment that helps you get to know yourself better, the patterns you have, and how to get the love you want. In one of the chapters, she talks about the concept of both/and. I…… Continue reading Life is a Both/And Proposition
Never Forget
9/11 is forever seared into our collective consciousness as we watched in real-time the unimaginable: planes crashing into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It was horrifying watching the people fleeing the towers as first responders were heading into the fire, only to have them come crashing down on…… Continue reading Never Forget
Alone Versus Lonely
Copyright Jennifer Mullins I never lived on my own until A, my youngest, moved to his own apartment. I went from living with my family of origin to being married. Learning to be on my own meant becoming comfortable in my own skin. There were many times when I was living with others when I…… Continue reading Alone Versus Lonely
Beautiful Bittersweet Life 
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