Just Listen

Tuesday Tidings #13

Between the persistent frigid cold outside, the frozen-in-place (and quite beautiful) snow, the news, and the chill in every room of my house, every day has felt like Groundhog Day. For weeks.

While I appreciate that this season is all about (much-needed) hibernation, or that all this snow and ice, once it melts, will trickle slowly and deeply into the ground to make Spring that much more spectacular (and help offset the drought), it is also exhausting—emotionally, mentally, spiritually, physically, even socially. (That last one is something I was reminded of just last night).

It is in moments like this that I find myself procrastinating (on the things I love doing like writing) and avoiding (the things I don’t love doing as much like cleaning up the thing sitting all over my kitchen counter, the trash waiting to go out to the curb, and the laundry sitting in piles on the floor). Maybe after all the upheaval and subsequent positive rearrangement I experienced last week, I am now in some kind of an emotional hangover.

Or maybe it’s just one of those days.

top half of a picture I took

Despite feeling, quite frankly, whiny, and with a deadline looming ahead, I made the decision to do the bare minimum and finish the edits of this week’s episode of the podcast and I take a first pass at next week’s episode.

And wouldn’t you know—hearing another woman share a story from her life gave me exactly what I needed.

I was reminded that even though there are times when I have to dig through a mountain, what sits on the other side helps me put the struggle into perspective and find ways to pay it forward; that the best, perhaps only thing I can do is move my body; and that total, radical acceptance of what is clears a path and provides the fuel I need to move forward.

None of that is new information. None of that is contrary to much of my own lived experience. But hearing those nuggets of wisdom from someone else describing something totally unrelated to my present circumstances, feelings or thoughts, made all the difference.

Their wisdom hit home in my heart.

bottom half of the same picture I took

With my wireless headphones snuggly pressed into my ears, with not only her voice but also mine coming through loud and clear, I cleaned up my kitchen, started a load of laundry, and took out the garbage. And once I finished with all of that, I picked up the notes I scribbled down in my journal, sat down at my desk, and wrote.

Sometimes, the best and only thing I really need to do is listen.

Given that February is Black History Month, I am including a link to the Josephine School Community Museum (the Museum holds the legacy of former slaves and free colored people of the community, who, in 1882, the built the Josephine City School to provide their children with a grade school education). Learn more about the history, and the work of this very small and mighty museum on their website.

And if you want to support that work through a donation, you can click here:

Lend Support to the Josephine School Community Museum

Please do me a small favor…

…and help me get the word out about the work I do here and in the podcast so I can continue to record and amplify more, different women’s voices. You can become a free or paid subscriber here, and you’re also invited to subscribe to my channel on YouTube. Or if you prefer to support my work in a different way, you can buy me a cup of coffee.

Meals Out: I have been eating in for the past ten days—been too cold, too icy, too much to go out to a restaurant. Besides, since I made sure all the key things I would need were here, at home, before the initial storm blew in, I have been enjoying making use of all that I already have.

Listening (voice): My podcast listening hiatus continues. For now. (There is a new series on the Freakonomics Radio podcast—an old fave pod—on “Getting Better” that I am curious about…might be next up in the queue when I get back to listening).

Listening (song most likely on repeat): It is so interesting to me that I have really not listened to any music. Maybe it’s a winter hibernation thing? Then again, I go through phases from time to time when I don’t have much sound on in the house. Especially when there is a lot of noise around me in the world. So, there is no song for me to include here this week.

Watching: Ya’ll—in the evenings, to warm up, I spend a good two hours on the Biomat (very, very toasty and relaxing), which is the perfect time to watch a new-to-me show—My Life is Murder (an Australian/New Zealander production available on Amazon Prime with Acorn sub). Omg, I am in love with this show (especially Season 1) and Lucy Lawless as the main character, Alexa Crowe, is outstanding. Aside from the murder mystery part, the best part of this show is the comedic elements brought in through what I feel is an amazing reflection of a woman in mid-life (who also happens to be a widow). I am now on Season 3 and fear that things might be turning a little too camp. Since there are a total of five seasons, I still have some time to decide if/how they keep this magic going. For now, it is a total winner—great for those weekend days when you just don’t feel like being productive or those weekday nights when you just want to chill with something light.

Most Hours Logged Doing: Most of the weekend was spent in my sunroom—either with a friend who came over, with my practitioner training cohort on Zoom, or with a woman who came over to share her story with me (first in person session since September).

Tuesday Morning Meditation: 2.3.25

Through my ears I hear the directions and from my heart I receive the love to power my actions.

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Is there a topic you would like me to write about in a Tuesday Tidings? Cover in a podcast episode? I am curious about what you’re curious about so leave a comment below or drop me line.