My childhood began in 1960. I hit the ground running as we moved not long after I was born. At last count I have moved approximately 25 times…so far.
1962.
My life is a canvas that I have painted on, and over, many times. I am proud of the depth of experiences I have given myself in my passion to “know myself.” I aspire to stay in the highest integrity and compassion in my life of which I am consciously aware and capable at any given time. I always look for new work (and life) experiences to challenge what I know and which then encourage me to study and learn more.
Challenged by a severe health issue with my jaw, I left acting and decided to go to graduate school in my early thirties. I earned a master’s degree from New York University in Drama Therapy and two post graduate degrees from the American Board of Examiners in Psychodrama, Sociometry and Group Psychotherapy, first as a Certified Practitioner and later as a Trainer, Educator and Practitioner.
In 1998, I had the honor of training at Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, NM under the tutelage of Roshi Joan Halifax in the week long program “Being with Dying, a training for Health Care Professionals.” This program gave me my first interaction with a larger community doing the very work I had been doing on my own.
I continue to bring my toolbox of creative psychotherapeutic and educational tools to a diverse population, from individual clients, to grieving families, the terminally ill and to schools.
I have been approached over the years to bring my style of work forward in a more public way. While I appreciate and value a quieter, more simple life, I understand that adding my voice to the field of death, dying and grieving in a more public forum enhances my reach to help normalize the discussions needed on these very topics.
Over the last few years, I have had three close friends who consistently encouraged and supported me to step out in a broader way in the world.
The Happy Introvert (I could have sat here all day). Glastonbury, England 2013.
My resistance finally broke when I heard Brené Brown say:
“I want to be in the arena. I want to be brave with my life. And when we make the choice to dare greatly, we sign up to get our asses kicked. We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can’t have both. Not at the same time.”
So here I am, huge introverted me, jumping into an arena that is bigger than I thought I would ever move into.
The choice of courage has replaced comfort.
And while I hope to balance this out down the road, I am now embracing being in the arena.
In gratitude to…
Douglas
And
Kelly.
For many many years I was very happy working quietly from my safe little cave.
But they each said, “You need to get out of the cave.”
I said, “Why, I like my cave!”
They said,
“Because.”
“Because why?” I challenged.
Each in their own beautiful, loving and somewhat uniquely annoying way, took a breath, looked me in the eyes and said…
“You will see.”
And so I have.
