Author: Stacie Hammond

I have a confession to make, friends. I’ve been lying to myself since January. That’s when all of our New Year’s resolutions come due, right? Well, since then, I’ve been talking and blogging about self-love. And while I get massages and I relax and I garden and I eat better and all the rest…it was only recently that I understood what self-love really meant. Self-love, turning inward and fully looking at and understanding oneself, is a challenging practice. We have to be willing to see it all, up close and personal, without judging ourselves. That’s the tricky part…to see where…

In modern society, we live fast lives.  We have hectic schedules.  We work, we run, we often eat our food standing up while getting something done with the other hand.  We have drive-through windows for our coffee and fast food (which I personally don’t condone eating.)  We turn the faucet and water comes out for us… instantly.  We flip a switch, and the lights come on.  We want to know something, we Google it. We are a people who’ve become enamored with instant gratification.  And this perception can poison many things in our lives, and in the lives of our…

We have a choice, every single morning, about who we are; who we get to be. Decide and remind yourself. Remind yourself every day. Get started right where you are and watch your life change. Meditate Before Work – This is such an easy way to get your head right, early on. Whatever your meditation of choice is: silent breathing, a morning walk, working out with music…do something to center your energy and reset your thoughts. I either dance to fun, positive music, spend a few quiet moments in the garden, or simply breathe deeply and reset my thoughts…

Despite the often serious tone of my writing, I am someone who loves to laugh. I am actually quite silly, and irreverent, off the page. And I love that; it’s me. I recently went out to a comedy club to see a relative — a well-known comic, actually — perform. What a blast! The great thing that unabashed laughter teaches us…is not to take ourselves, and life, so seriously. If you’ve ever been to a live comedy show, you know what to expect: inappropriateness, crude statements, poking fun at all walks of life…and if you happen to be the one…

The sun is shining, veggies are planted in the garden, flowers are in bloom, serotonin levels are up… I can smell it and feel it on my skin… summer is in the air! I’ve grown a new appreciation for the heat and the sun, as well as the great and beautiful “outdoors.” As we tiptoe into June, I get excited looking ahead in my calendar wondering what unexpected adventures are in store, and what experiences I can intentionally plan for. I have lots of fun plans for Mommy and Son time, but if I’ve learned anything in the past year……

“What if we all lost power, and it didn’t come back, and we had to forage to survive…could we?” “What if he fell asleep, and woke up in a different time?  Without his sight?” “What if trees sent messages to other trees?  What if dogs used telepathy?” This is what it’s like in my mind when creativity hits me.  A flow of ideas, questions, scenarios, characters, what-ifs and why-nots, ad infinitum.  I used to think it was a curse to have such a wild mind that often kept me up at night.  Imagining stories and conversations, scenery and sounds.  Until…

Often enough, we come across people, or we become people, who seem stuck — in the sense that, we have big dreams, lofty ambitions, but are not where we want to be yet.  Well, like all things in life, it starts within.  It starts with us, it starts now.  NOW is all there is, really. The present moment offers opportunity, learning, growth, challenges, and understanding.  NOW offers forward motion.  We never want to go backwards.  NOW offers that sublime connection to the divine, to the universe, to all that is.  To spend our days fretting about the past or living…

A life in public service lends itself to a wide range of experiences. Theft, episodes of mental illness, working with both children and adults on the autism spectrum, bouts of violence, sheltering the homeless, providing safe harbor and warmth during violent storms, and so many other things.  Libraries aren’t just books — libraries are community — and we see it all. Today, I heard complaints that a woman fell and was resting on a bench, but looked like she needed medical attention.  Eventually, she walked in on her own and joined us in the reference room.  In the meantime, I…

A few days ago, I set out again to challenge myself and test some limits. The first task was to try some seafood (I’ve always been seafood-phobic.) I was challenged by a colleague to try oysters, and en route, I decided I would try calamari. I was excited to try the oysters, but as I saw the heaping plate of cornmeal-dusted calamari rings arrive, I began to sweat. I felt it dripping down my neck. I got a little queasy; I felt my whole body tense up. I was terrified! Of food! How did I develop such a fear? But,…

So.  Let’s just throw it all out there.  The muse and I… have been quarreling lately.  For nearly a year, through 2015, I was able to blissfully sit and the words would pour out.  It was incredible; it was magic.  I didn’t have to seek inspiration out, it just found me, effortlessly.  And I was grateful for it, everyday.  But recent weeks have proven to be…trying. I would sit in front of the screen, and my mind would scream at me to focus on other things.  There were some mundane tasks to finish.  There were bigger questions that I didn’t…