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Self care Archives - Page 7 of 12 - Andrea Patten
  • silver-colored hand in a peace sign
    Inner Critic,  Self care,  Thinking

    Awards? It’s Time to Thank the Academy

    When I think about awards, I picture movie stars and media personalities who  “thank the academy” as they run down the mental list of all the people who support them. There are jokes about forgetting important people and occasionally a musical “hook” designed to drag them off of center stage. My recent, personal award experience, however, makes me think of Groundhog Day — not the movie with Andie MacDowell and Bill Murray, but the actual day. [bctt tweet=”It’s summer in north Florida, but I was deep in…

  • black and white box on brown wooden table
    E,  Fun & Inspiration,  Self care,  Thinking

    Inspired Life

    What does it mean to live an inspired life? It’s a phrase that can bring to mind images of artists, monastics, and martyrs. It also makes me think of sweeping the floor and tending my weeds. I think the phrase got stuck in my head the other day when one of my friends referred to another as an inspiration. Word nerd that I am, I was intrigued; my friend the inspiration has a breathing disorder and one of the definitions of “inspire” is “to breathe in.”…

  • woman looking up to the sky while standing on white sand
    Parenting,  Self care,  Thinking

    Happy Other Days

    It was the second Sunday in May, a lifetime ago. I had developed solid relationships with many of the women in the locked facility so, standing in front of the entire patient community, I sensed the need. And, as was the habit of most women in mandatory addiction treatment, they were prepared for disappointment. “Good morning ladies. Before we start, I need to get something off my chest.” I rarely addressed the group this way. I had their attention. “I have concluded that, despite any evidence…