Uphill idealist

Pick up the phone and call Scotland Yard - I have a mystery for Sherlock Holmes! My mystery was not a crime - but it was one of a nutritional and physical matter. Last year due to repeated foot injuries, there came a time that I had to lay off the running habit that I'd established over a five year period. I'd gone from thinking I could never run a mile, to running a 5k and not thinking twice about running 2-3 miles 6 days a week. Progress had been made - and I didn't want to loose the ground I'd worked so hard to gain. I'd never say that I was the "hare" kind of runner, but loosing my "tortoise" daily run was a difficult loss. However, the injuries meant I'd have to rest from running. Unfortunately, that six months of  PT and rest led to me gaining the twenty pounds I'd lost from running over the last five years. The mystery continues... In response to the weight gain, I consulted a nutritionist, logged my calories and af

A woman's prerogative /mixed media by T.L. Eastman  For  Mel - Unexpected ties We try to walk the path alone. The ties that bind us don't always seem to be a blessing. These connections make us vulnerable to all kinds of impact. Sometimes we are so wrapped up in ties that we can't budge. But true ties that bind are not ones that make us captive, but hold us secure. True bonds give a space for new life to be the ground we walk upon. We should not walk the path alone . These ties are life lines - our rescue inhalers - and cool cups of water that make it possible to live. Life-giving ties support and release us to travel to the scary growing edges, and take us to the places we are not sure we can get to. We can’t walk the path alone. Our tapestry of ties is not tidy or exact. There are snags here and knots there. But this tapestry is a blanket that unexpectedly gives warmth to the chill of the autumn night, and just-right coolnes

It's been a while, but the conversation is one of ease. Not that what is discussed is always easy, but the foundation is secure. This space lets us stand strong - even in hard times. Spoons clink and words swirl to fill the air. Ideas breathe new life into spaces that were dusty and dim. Hands move to punctuate important points. If someone didn't know us, they might think this was an argument. But it's not. This dance of words and movement of hands is how we stay connected. This is how we "talk". Like a pen scratching on paper or nails tapping on a keyboard - we are getting our message across. With coffee in cups in hand, we face life's challenges and hold on to laughter. Our eyes flash with treasure of these memories and all the times we've taken to sit down at the table - face to face - eye to eye together. This is coffee klatch with a good friend. T. Eastman  May 2014 Image found at: Jack and Friends

Over the last week there have been news reports, online commentary, and what seems to be a never-ending display of chaos, anger, grief, ignorance, and disbelief over the terrible loss because of the shooting in Santa Barbara , California as well as the feedback over Elliot Roger's actions. While I rarely post responses to current events, this event is one I can't allow to pass. Sides are being drawn in the aftermath of this tragedy from every perspective imaginable. This account has lit a fire for so many people. The sheer tragedy of this story is beyond comprehension; but the root of its cause is something that people live and struggle with every day. Prejudice. Maya Angelou, a brilliant poet, speaker and human being; who sadly passed away earlier today has this to say concerning the effect of prejudice: " Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible. " At this very moment  confusion, threat and