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Seminar on Sunday! How to Face Stormy Times
The destabilizing mandates from the Trump administration in the last two weeks have already taken a toll. I have heard voices of many who are struggling with harmful impacts to their mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. In response, I’m offering a free seminar this Sunday from 9:00-11:00 a.m. to talk about how to face this stormy time. If you are not able to attend, I will be sharing the information over the next several months in my articles. This is more of a response to the sense of urgency. Space is limited so please RSVP if you would like to join me. ***You do not need to be a current client to attend***
What: Facing Stormy Times Seminar
When: Sunday, February 2nd from 9-11 a.m.
Where: 4251 Kipling Street, 2nd Floor Conference Room
Contact: 303-915-5597 to RSVP
Direction: please enter on the SW side of the building (main entrance) where there is a split staircase. Head up to the second floor (the conference room is visible on your right). Once through the double doors, take the first door on your right. **Please bring any snacks or beverages you need for your comfort. Bathrooms and a drinking fountain are across the hall. For those with mobility concerns, there is a ramp outside to the first floor and an elevator.
Would you write a letter?
Hello friends-
On inauguration day, Bishop Mariann Budde spoke to Trump and the nation, asking for mercy to the marginalized groups he has been targeting. She specifically stated that frightened transgender people and immigrants are “our fellow human beings”. Bishop Budde is receiving condemnation for her remarks and Trump is demanding an apology.
She remains unapologetic despite this pressure, a true role model I can only hope to emulate. I have acquired her address and intend to send her a show of solidarity. If you’re willing, please join me:
Episcopal Church House- Diocese of Washington
C/o the Rt Rev Mariann Budde
3101 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington DC 20016
Let us never tire of being reminded to see each other as human beings. May we always stand with those who are brave enough to love when it is scary.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5100365-mariann-budde-donald-trump-prayer-service
Facing Stormy Times: Part 1
Ever been in a situation where you need something badly but were too blind to notice? It happened to me in November when I was busy hiding under my bed covers, trying to avoid all the implications of the election results. A lovely person, similarly struggling, reached out and asked me to give a presentation on how to get through the next four years. I couldn’t help but laugh. My dream of cocooning myself in a land of despair and nearly buried alive with cat hair (kitty really likes to spoon under the covers) was not an option. I was being called to get up, square my shoulders, and figure out how to move forward with integrity. The Dalai Lama’s words came into my head, “Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.”
Wise enough to know I need guidance from great thinkers, I am delighted by all I have found that speak to the challenges we face in stormy times as well as ways to be strong. I have revisited Viktor Frankl’s fundamental work after the holocaust, Man’s Search For Meaning, Rabbi Simon Jacobson and his incredible series on how to find renewal in times of destruction, theologian Richard Rhohr in his book, Hope Against the Darkness, Buddhist scholar Pema Chodron’s works, as well as my contemporary colleagues. Through the process, I’m delighted to report that I find myself more realistic, less reactive, and grounded. My conversations with others no longer sound like venting sessions but rather thoughtful reflections.
I invite you to join me on a journey, exploring how we can show up well for ourselves, our neighbors, and the greater world. I will be summarizing themes on “what to do”; the “how” will be something we discover along the way. Welcome fellow travelers!
A woman is like a tea bag. You can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water. -Eleanor Roosevelt
This is not for the sake of mortal purity; it is for the sake of a future. -Richard Rhohr
…feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we’re holding back. They teach us to perk up and lean in when we feel we’d rather collapse and back away. They’re like messengers that show us, with terrifying clarity, exactly where we’re stuck. This very moment is the perfect teacher, and lucky for us, it’s with us wherever we are. -Pema Chodron
Looking To the Horizon
The start of the new year is a great time to take stock and consider where we are in this moment of time and what we want to dream for the future. I invite you to find a few minutes to set a clear intention about your motivation and direction. This will serve as both the anchor and inspiration for the journey ahead. Next, consider all the factors that will support your success. For new possibilities and sustainable change, ensure your environment, support system, and practices augment and nurture the changes you hope to see.
The following is a list of areas in your life that can nurture and augment your efforts (list largely created by Ben Malcolm PharmD, MPH). Here’s to new possibilities….
| Professional Psychiatrist, psychologist, mental health provider | Alternative Healer Aromatherapist, acupuncturist, naturopath, chiropractor, etc. |
| Physical Outdoor activities, exposure to nature, exercise, sports, yoga, dance, other mind-body practices | Nutrition Healthy meal plan, nourishing foods, watching for emotional eating, limitation of junk food, intermittent fasting, etc. |
| Pharmacological Supplements and medications | Daily relaxation and self-work Meditation, reading, journaling, avoidance of screen time or media content, gratitude ritual |
| Connection Social activities with friends, family, or partner. Attending support groups, community center, library, meet-ups | Soul-warming Volunteering, giving, engagement with causes of passion |
| Organization and Accountability Life coach, personal trainer | Creative or Hobby Painting, gardening, drawing, coloring, pottery |
| Environment Time in nature, a cozy nook, a sacred space, or somewhere uplifting/soothing | Intellectual Reading, taking a class, experiencing something novel, stimulating discussions, thought-provoking podcasts |
With Gratitude
I am blessed by so many people in my life. Thank you to the incredible clients I have the privilege to work with. You continually show me determination, resilience, and deep inner wisdom that serves to warm and inspire every day. Thank you to the community of colleagues who bring a depth and level of connection unmatched. You challenge, support, and mentoring helps me strive to be the best clinician and person I hope to be. Thank you to the family that provides unyielding presence, encouragement, and joy. Thank you to the beautiful people in the world who make the day a little brighter, a little sweater, and a little kinder.
Thankful for hardships, thankful for strife;
Thankful for those who have come into my life:
to show me the good, and show me the bad
how to be happy, how to be sad;
Thankful for lessons that have made me stronger
For holding out hope when I thought I couldn’t hold on any longer
Thankful for family and thankful for friends;
For knowing which ties to break and which fences to mend;
Grateful for failures and faults and misgivings
Thankful to know I am human and living
Thankful for lies which turn into truth;
Thankful to elders who remember their youth;
Thankful for times when I think I have nothing;
And thankful for realizing that nothing’s still something
Thankful for memories, dreams, and things still unclear;
For things that retreat for a time and then reappear
Thankful for those who used to be here
And the ability to hold those folks who are still here_ near
Thankful for earth, oceans and heavens above
Thankful for knowing the meaning of love
Thankful to know when I’ve stolen the sky’s blue
That I can turn around and give many more thanks just for You.
By Lady Mar 2017
It Has Begun-
It’s time for any political passivity to be a thing of the past. The efforts of the incoming president to strip away the balance of power and to revoke rights are underway. There is a bill under congressional consideration that would facilitate shutting down non-profits. According to the Nonprofit Association of Washington:
“H.R.9495 has the potential to endanger nonprofits and the work that we do by allowing the government to terminate the tax-exempt status of nonprofits by way of the Secretary of Treasury who would have full authority to designate charitable organizations as “a terrorist-supporting organization”, without the requirement of sharing the evidence or reasoning to the accused nonprofit and the public at large. It places the burden of proof on the nonprofit organization being accused and effectively eliminates due process by only allowing an organization 90 days to prove its innocence before having its tax-exempt status revoked. If HR9495 passes, charitable organizations that are involved in issues around women’s reproductive rights, serving immigrants and refugees, working on issues related to wars and victims of wars, and even issues around equity, could potentially be deemed as terrorists or domestic terrorists.”
Please, do not stay silent. Call your senator today and ask that they oppose any such bill.
George Carlin made a statement that has stuck with me for years, “Just when these American citizens needed their rights the most…their government took them away. and rights aren’t rights if someone can take em away. They’re priveledges. That’s all we’ve ever had in this country is a bill of TEMPORARY priviledges; and if you read the news, even badly, you know the list get’s shorter, and shorter, and shorter.” He highlights that we cannot assume our rights are givens. They can be revoked, as we have learned with affirmitive action, women’s health care, and protections for the transgender community. Please do not get comfortable. Please be vigilant and most importantly, please act.
For those in Colorado, here’s who you need to contact….. regularly!
Michael Bennet (D)
bennet.senate.gov
202-224-5258
John Hickenlooper (D)
www.hickenlooper.senate.gov
202-224-5941
Day of Remembrance
Today marks the time of year when the trans community and their allies recognize those who have been killed due to hate crimes. There has been amplified demoralizing and terrifying scapegoating onto the community, amplifying the threats these beautiful human beings have to endure. I have no words- the painful reality that being authentic is truly life-threatening for these beautiful people.
What to know about the transgender day of remembrance
Tonight, if you want to be present with the community, The Transgender Center of the Rockies and The Center on Colfax, are hosting a candelit ceremony at the Tivoli Turnhalle from 6-9 p..m. They will honor those who have lost their lives this year with music, poetry, affirmations, and speaking the names of those who’ve died.