We all have one.

That list of things you want to do but have been putting off way too long. I call it the “Someday Maybe” list.

Were you a note-passer in elementary school? Confession - I traded carefully folded notes with my friends all through high school. (Extra confession, sometimes they were just song lyrics. Anyone else?)

Anyway, I thought I'd share three things about myself... note-passing style.

A few weeks ago I was standing on a pedestrian bridge with a dear friend, watching the huge, swollen river flow toward us, aware that it was at the same time passing underneath us and flowing away.

I recently shared about the wrist pain I've been having for over a year. What I didn't share was that it's getting better. (Yay!)

Why it's getting better aligns with a counterintuitive truth:

Rest is not always the medicine.

Oooof, the first time I heard this expression, it took my breath away for a moment. Death starts in the feet.

For the past year and a half, I've been dealing with wrist pain (and not handling it all that well, I might add).

It started on my right wrist -- the wrist I broke and had surgery on in 2017 -- after an overly enthusiastic weights workout.

This year's holiday survival tip comes from the funny, heartwarming, and smart PBS Masterpiece series, Astrid. The namesake main character helps solve mysteries and goes on ethereal adventures with her crime-fighting partner.

When the holidays rolled around, it seemed natural to extend our experiment even further. We celebrate Christmas and decided that year to forgo material gifts altogether.

Last week I thought I was dying.

I mean, I am dying — we all are. Every day, one step closer.

But last week, due to some unusual things going on in my body, I was sure I was dying soon. Maybe that’s part of what happens when you’ve had a cancer diagnosis — you become viscerally aware of your mortality. Suddenly every bump or twinge could lead to the end.

Our bodies have been through a lot. The fear, the unknown, the polarization all brewing in a big pot for the past three years, up to now and whatever your post-pandemic position is -- all of those experiences were processed (or not) through your body.Our bodies have been through a lot. The fear, the unknown, the polarization all brewing in a big pot for the past three years, up to now and whatever your post-pandemic position is -- all of those experiences were processed (or not) through your body.

Try an experiment with me.

Right where you're sitting, slump into your worst posture ever. Let your chest sink, shoulders rounded down, neck thrust forward like a chicken.

Some years ago I went on a trip to Nepal. I was with a group of dear yogi friends and most of the trip was scheduled with a full itinerary of tours and sights to see. It was a big trip for me and I was both excited and a little anxious.

It almost seems like a question that's going to be a part of our lives going forward is, "Have you had covid?" Probably like you, I know many people who have been dealing with it. Either getting it for the first time, getting it again, or dealing with “long covid” symptoms. Maybe this is you.

Michelle here.

Because I know what it's like to feel alone... in a marriage, in a diagnosis, in healing (which is usually preceded by an unraveling)...

I wanted to tell you a little more about myself.

One of the big selling points of yoga is that it can make you feel
better.

This is evidenced by the messaging of many "yoga ads" I see
online:

- You're only one class away from a good mood.
- Every breath is an opportunity to feel better.
- 8 poses to make you feel better.

This one is for you if you are feeling any amount overwhelmed by the holidays, if you are anxious about something coming up, or this season is challenging in general.

Do you ever get pulled down the drain of a mental spiral? Do you wake at night with a racing mind? Do you lean toward the pattern of anxiety?

Did you know that studies have found that imagining your life without something you are grateful for, as opposed to just feeling grateful for it, has an even greater impact on your emotional well-being?

I recently heard the idea that life is 50/50 – that 50% of the time you will want the things that are happening, the things you call good. The other 50% can range from a mild dislike to the deepest devastation and despair.