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 4/3/26 Catherine S. Marquette 4/3/26

On connection

I often don't allow myself to lean into emotion the way I did last week. I tuned inward, into my body and its sensations. Into the heaviness and emptiness alike. My yard becoming my medicine, my solace.

This week, my yard remained my medicine, but in community. The weight was light, the space full.

Catherine S. Marquette 3/19/21 Catherine S. Marquette 3/19/21

On Spring cleaning

Tomorrow marks the Spring Equinox for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere—when day and night are of equal length with the sun crossing the equator, promising longer days and signaling rebirth all around us. In many ways, this time period feels like the beginning of the new year, providing an opportunity to reflect more so than the busy, distracting holiday season that is the end of the calendar year.

Catherine S. Marquette 10/12/20 Catherine S. Marquette 10/12/20

A reflection on wilting

I came home from Vermont late Saturday night to find the flowers in my flower box underneath my front window severely wilted. At first, I cried foul—poison! Someone poisoned my flowers! Now, I wonder if they weren’t a sacrificial death—perhaps a symbol of the year up ‘til now, a foreshadow of what was still to come, a snapshot of my current state so I might investigate further the need for better healing options.

Flowers need nuanced care in order to thrive. Their caregiver must properly tend to their needs, appreciating how much sun is appropriate, how much water is required. The caretaker must observe the flowers with compassion, intellect and patience. They must be willing to remove any weeds that otherwise might stop the flowers’ growth, or to transplant them if they’ve outgrown their containers. The caretaker must provide enough nourishment for strong roots to develop and for the flowers to weather any storm.

We, too, need nuanced care in order to thrive…

Catherine S. Marquette 10/6/20 Catherine S. Marquette 10/6/20

A reflection on the Earth as medicine

I’ve been learning about koans—paradoxical riddles of sort in Zen Buddhism on which students meditate in order to uncover knowledge, intuition, enlightenment. This morning’s lesson was particularly relevant, as though the koan purposefully presented itself to me. Of note, I happen to be in Vermont for the week to ruminate more deeply on this past year-to-date and what I might (continue to) learn from it moving forward. So…you can likely see how this particular koan being the meditation of the day piqued my interest.

Other translations of the koan include:

Medicine and disease (or sickness) exactly correspond (or correspond to each other).
The whole Earth is medicine.
What is self? (Or what are you?)

There are many types of disease…

Catherine S. Marquette 7/28/20 Catherine S. Marquette 7/28/20

A reflection on a sunrise

I couldn’t sleep last Wednesday night. Unfortunately, I don’t sleep well many nights, but that particular evening was especially challenging. Eventually I threw in the proverbial towel and decided to do something I don’t do often enough—watch the sunrise.

Catherine S. Marquette 6/23/20 Catherine S. Marquette 6/23/20

Some small reflections

Last week, I headed west to Shenandoah, the northernmost region of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I went seeking rest and relaxation, something we all need in general, and especially during what can only be described as an exhausting 2020 thus far. What an emotional roller coaster for each and every one of us—at all levels (global, national, local and individual alike)! The Universe is telling us something; will we choose to listen to Her?