Annie Ellis: Integrative Nurse Coach

01/13/2023

I first heard phrasing such as this during a parent's weekend in my son's school for complicated learners. A parent stood up and said, "A family is only as happy as the most despairing child." That hit us all as truth.

If our kids are not ok, then we are not ok.

01/09/2023

I would add that these experiences occur at any age and gathering the courage to explore the new possibilities of your life through the protest is a way through. Tell me your thoughts, if you'd like.

01/06/2023

This is a different perspective of looking at oneself - from the outside. Even though Thay tells us, "you carry the whole Cosmos inside you", try imagining seeing yourself from the outside. What do you see, feel, hear?

Recognizing our limitless energy and limitless connections…

12/31/2022

What do you hope for in this next year? What do you look forward to? What will serve you? What burden do you feel the need to put down so that you can feel the ease in your body, mind and spirit?

"Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair. Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the earth gives me daily and I must return the gift."

Robin Wall Kimmerer
Art by Seb McKinnon

12/23/2022

I believe this is a true representation of hope. When one of my young children was very sick for awhile, I also found this writing about Hope by Emily Dickinson to be true for me also:

"Hope is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops at all -"

What comforts/gears you up in Hope?

12/22/2022

Does this image bring your life into better focus?

12/20/2022

Maybe, some of us...or most of us might consider staying in our lungs during the holidays.

my brain and
heart divorced

a decade ago

over who was
to blame about
how big of a mess
I have become

eventually,
they couldn't be
in the same room
with each other

now my head and heart
share custody of me

I stay with my brain
during the week

and my heart
gets me on weekends

they never speak to one another

- instead, they give me
the same note to pass
to each other every week

and their notes they
send to one another always
says the same thing:

"This is all your fault"

on Sundays
my heart complains
about how my
head has let me down
in the past

and on Wednesday
my head lists all
of the times my
heart has screwed
things up for me
in the future

they blame each
other for the
state of my life

there's been a lot
of yelling - and crying

so,

lately, I've been
spending a lot of
time with my gut

who serves as my
unofficial therapist

most nights, I sneak out of the
window in my ribcage

and slide down my spine
and collapse on my
gut's plush leather chair
that's always open for me

~ and I just sit sit sit sit
until the sun comes up

last evening,
my gut asked me
if I was having a hard
time being caught
between my heart
and my head

I nodded

I said I didn't know
if I could live with
either of them anymore

"my heart is always sad about
something that happened yesterday
while my head is always worried
about something that may happen tomorrow,"
I lamented

my gut squeezed my hand

"I just can't live with
my mistakes of the past
or my anxiety about the future,"
I sighed

my gut smiled and said:

"in that case,
you should
go stay with your
lungs for a while,"

I was confused
- the look on my face gave it away

"if you are exhausted about
your heart's obsession with
the fixed past and your mind's focus
on the uncertain future

your lungs are the perfect place for you

there is no yesterday in your lungs
there is no tomorrow there either

there is only now
there is only inhale
there is only exhale
there is only this moment

there is only breath

and in that breath
you can rest while your
heart and head work
their relationship out."

this morning,
while my brain
was busy reading
tea leaves

and while my
heart was staring
at old photographs

I packed a little
bag and walked
to the door of
my lungs

before I could even knock
she opened the door
with a smile and as
a gust of air embraced me
she said

"what took you so long?"

~ john roedel

12/15/2022

Seeing the motion of dance in nature - another reason to offer gratitude today.

12/09/2022

This is what our family is following this year. It's been a tough year for all. What do you think? Care to rethink the usual traditions? Just BE together❤ Maybe pick a favorite charity to give to and let that BE enough.🎄

12/08/2022

And this requires practice, practice, practice - using all kinds of new and old tools from your box. I know I'm still doing it. It's part of a life journey.

Worth the Walk

Jen Peer Rich Is Writing

12/01/2022

The darkness can be puzzling, overwhelming. I don't think many of us were raised to accept it, thrash/ suss it out properly or to ask for help; or given support. When we are supported or when we give it to our Selves, we can find the light through the darkness.❤

All parts of our journey have purpose…

11/26/2022

Nothing but the facts, sir.

Facts.