Observations on moving, breathing and being. These are mine.

I’ve been writing them down since 2020.

I took a long pause. I’m back now.

Catherine S. Marquette 7/13/26 Catherine S. Marquette 7/13/26

On kindness

I woke up sweating. Not the typical 50-year-old-perimenopausal-woman sweats, nor the expected "it's a summer heat wave" sweats, but the "is my air conditioner working" sweats. And sure enough, my 1905 Victorian and its insufficient central HVAC system was, in fact, not working—in the middle of the 2026 heat wave, at the exact moment I happened to be a 50-year-old woman in perimenopause.

To say I was miserable would be an understatement.

Catherine S. Marquette 6/22/26 Catherine S. Marquette 6/22/26

On the motherland

I was born in Turkey, yet was only there for three months before moving back to the US through JFK Airport and New York City.

Perhaps this is why both places feel like home—the latter, New York, where I lived twice for nearly eight years in all. The former, less explicably, given I have no memory of it, somewhere in my bones.

Catherine S. Marquette 6/15/26 Catherine S. Marquette 6/15/26

On my island

I just returned from a week away up in Vermont. Including the retreat I'd been at, I was away for ten days. What a gift to be able to take the time for both solitude and solidarity in such a beautiful part of the country.

And...

Catherine S. Marquette 4/17/26 Catherine S. Marquette 4/17/26

On the unremarkable

I sat down this morning to write. (Yes, currently I write day-of. Perhaps that will change. For now…)

My mind was blank. Nothing stood out. No big insight, no big breakthrough, seemingly no big anything.

I thought to myself, “I have nothing to share”.

Catherine S. Marquette 11/26/20 Catherine S. Marquette 11/26/20

A reflection on thanks

I’ve been re-watching Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso the last few weeks, which if you haven’t seen yet, watch now and thank me later. (And if you end up doing neither, we must talk…)

I would describe the show as both positive and cheerful while also sad and grounded—and overall, inspirationally kind and vulnerable.

While there are many incredible lines to quote for those of you whom that is a thing—including multiple references throughout as to why we should strive to be a goldfish—there’s a pair of lines that really resonates with me as we reflect and give thanks this Thanksgiving.

Late in the season, Ted, played by Jason Sudeikis, learns of a very personal and professional betrayal and has the option of how to respond. Many of us, if presented with our equivalent of this situation, would likely react first, reflect later.

Ted chose differently. He paused, allowing for space between the stimulus (the news) and his response. He invited in his breathe to slow down his sympathetic “fight or flight” nervous system. He related to the injurious individual, finding common ground and connection with this obviously injured person herself. Ultimately, he humanized his response, forgiving her and finding the silver lining from this otherwise hurtful situation.

…(it’s) changed my life. It gave me the distance I needed to see what was really going on…you and me? We’re okay…
~Ted Lasso (Ted Lasso, season 1, episode 9)

The connection, Catherine…please…