Favorites around the web: January 2016

It felt freeing to take the pressure off over the holidays and just roll with it. You may have noticed that I have been inconsistent in my posting, or that I'm not here every day, or maybe you have been very busy with your own families too. It's all good.

I'm ready for this new year with renewed focus and a calmer outlook due to the practice of meditation. It sounds like a whole lot of new age weirdness unless you try it, and I'm loving this way it makes me feel. It's a way of calming my overactive mind, relaxing me as much as a massage or nap. I'm handling frustrations and impatience better with more sleep at night and mindful meditation.

Out of the gate this year, I had a post up at The Washington Post's On Parenting site.  It's always a thrill for me to be published there, and if you're a writer, the editors are excellent. This essay, in case you missed it, is about how I have learned to stop buying so much STUFF for my son. I found it was too easy to buy a small thing here and there, and it adds up to both too much money and too many expectations.

Now for some of my favorites - I  have been saving some of these for a few weeks, and I hope you enjoy them:

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“How I talk becomes how she talks. My attitude becomes hers – not just toward her father but everything. How we talk to children becomes not only their inner voice but the voice they use with others. We must be conscious to speak to them and in front of them the way we hope they will speak to others.” YES, Gina.

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I found Anne's story to be both heartbreakingly beautiful and sorrowful; I am looking forward to seeing the finished product of this beautiful book.

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Christine speaks the words of my heart, too. I’m a writer who is on the sensitive side, and I sometimes spend too much time worrying about what others will think. But ultimately, I have to speak my truth and be authentically me.

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Just for fun, take a look at this link. It’s a fascinating view of New York City, long before any of us were born.

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Mandy lost her daughter seven years ago to a sudden infection, and she now writes about grief and how she deals with motherhood and life with beautiful, evocative words.

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Kathryn Streeter is a new friend who is an up and coming writer in the U.S. – she has traveled extensively throughout the world, and I love the way she describes the days with her teenage children.

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Allison Slater Tate is not only one of my favorite writers; she’s one of my favorite people. She nails it in this one. Bring the tissues.

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The statements about what women feel in this post are haunting. Thought-provoking. And true.

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Greta inspires me with her resilience and ability to see the past and glean hope from it.

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I met Betsy this summer, and she blew me away with her bubbly personality – she has been through a lot, and she’s not slowing down for a second. If you are not aware of the powerful words at The Manifest-Station, check it out now.

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Cheers to The Meditation Bar and Krista Lea, who has given me so much help with controlling anxiety and fear and filling my brain with love and hope.

Happy Wednesday! Enjoy the rest of your week.

Love, Kristin