300 Days of Sunshine

When I look back on the past month, it's hard to believe how much has happened in the world, and how busy our own little family has been as well.  I've been feeling overwhelmed lately by the news -- the shootings and bombings around the globe, the fire at Notre Dame, the horrifying ramifications of the opioid epidemic, the Measles outbreaks and the vaccine uproar, the child who was thrown at the Mall of America, and close friends who are struggling with illness, cancer, or infertility -- and I find it hard to maintain my sanity and sense of purpose when there seems to be a lack of compassion everywhere we turn.  At the same time, though, I also feel hopeful and inspired by the positive things that are happening, like new gun laws in New Zealand, the steps big companies are taking to minimize plastic use, and the policy changes that are happening to support underrepresented individuals.  And although I'm not a religious person, I am trying to embrace a sense of hope and o...

I just finished my three-month term on the Grand Jury of the First Judicial Court in Santa Fe.  People always joke about how unbearably boring jury duty can be and feel the need to share outrageous suggestions for how to get out of it, but I actually enjoyed the experience most of the time and learned a lot about an aspect of the community that I would have otherwise never encountered.  While it was inconvenient for me professionally to be away from work once a week for three months, I appreciated the opportunity to solve problems in a different way and work with a diverse group of individuals.  I'm not allowed to share specifics of any cases I heard, but I would like to share my reflections on the process and what I learned from the experience. First of all, if you don't know the difference between a Grand Jury and a Trial Jury (which I did not, prior to this experience), a Grand Jury is responsible for establishing probable cause, which then leads to an indictment....

New tulips in my front garden Trees and bushes in bloom Backyard blossoms After six days of travel, I arrived home to see the tulips I planted last fall starting to bloom!  I have had a horrible time with gardening in the Southwest (and, admittedly, I'm just not dedicated enough to the task), so this is the first time I have successfully planted something that has bloomed.  It gives me a renewed sense of belief in the process and hope for the future. While traveling and welcoming the season of spring, I have been reflecting on self-care.  I intentionally named this post something other than "self-care" because it has become such a buzz word lately and has been completely misconstrued to signify selfishness and entitlement that doesn't seem to benefit anyone.  Self-care or self-preservation should be about taking care of ourselves so that we may better serve others, and I strive to get to the heart of what beneficial and productive self-care actually lo...