Kerri On Down The Road

 We are often reminded that by saying no more often, we open up possibilities to say yes.  What we don't often hear is that for every yes we say, we are ultimately saying no to something else.  On the surface, this may not seem to be very mindblowing or interesting, as it is a simple statement of cause and effect.  What struck me was not in the cause and effect of this relationship, but in the impact that my yeses could be having on my life. For those of us who identify as recovering people-pleasers, I think that this message is very important.  Because as a people-pleaser, we tend to give away our yeses indiscriminately at times, in the hopes of keeping the peace, being highly regarded by others, or to reduce inner voices that tell us we need to make others happy to prove our worth.  As we say yes to things that aren't in alignment with us, we are also saying no to opportunities that might be.  While living in a place of maybes and mights is not comfo...

 I am not the most patient person when it comes to change taking place.  If I have decided that I am ready for something to take place, or to make a change, then I want it to happen already.  Enough of the waiting around, enough of the contemplation - I have already done enough of that.  I just want change to happen when I am ready for it to happen.  And usually by the time I feel "ready", that means that it is already too late, things should have been in motion ages ago. The need for patience is something I am starting to grasp and acknowledge, even if I am sometimes unwilling or unable to practice what I preach to myself.  The idea of patience with change really hit home for me this winter.  In my hometown of Toronto, we have experienced a classic Canadian winter for the first time in years.  Bitter cold winds, heavy and inconvenient snowfalls, ice buildup, and a general need for patience where any type of commute or travel is concerned.  I...

 Lately, I've been identifying with Dory from Finding Nemo, and her reminder to just keep on keeping on, no matter what.  I'm not sure if it's the weather, the lack of sunlight, or the time of year, but all I know is that I've been feeling blah lately.  Low energy, low motivation, and low mood.  I also know that feeling this way is something I find really uncomfortable to sit with, and as a result, I tend to look for ways to alleviate or distract myself from my feelings.  Being sober, distraction doesn't take the shape of an end-of-the-night glass of something or other anymore. It usually manifests itself in scrolling on my phone, eating for no apparent reason, or taking up a new hobby.  One of the reasons that I have such a variety of interests and unfinished projects lying around my apartment, I suppose. This time feels different, though.  This time, I feel like I am approaching this period of feeling meh in a new way.  Instead of trying to igno...

Last week, I found myself wearing a bathing suit and sitting in a monstrous snow pile in my front yard.  No, this was not a dare, and I did not receive a cash incentive to do so.  I was celebrating my two-year dip-a-versary, and due to the incredible weather we have had lately, sitting in the snow was the closest thing I could get to what I was actually celebrating - my love of cold water. If we went back in time, to say two and a half years ago, the person you would have met would not have been about the cold at all.  She pursued hobbies that took her outside in the winter, but she compensated by bundling up, sometimes overdressing, and doing all she could to not feel the cold.  Like many others, she had an aversion to the discomfort that a chill brought about, and fought against this feeling with every warm clothing item she could. Then came the a-ha moment of hearing more and more about the healing properties of cold water immersion, and the hope of perhaps offset...