California

Hi.

September 25, 2026

Seattle looking lovely

Remember me? Despite my lack of posting, I am still here. My West Coast trip to see family and friends was wonderful (see brief report below) and it’s fall, my favorite time of year—despite Florida’s marked lack of crisp weather and colorful leaves. It has been a t-i-n-y bit less steamy, and at the very least, we’re drawing ever closer to cool weather. I’ve been leaning hard into mending and tending, continuing to take care of myself (yearly physical and labs) and chip away at a few areas in the house that still need solutions (home office/guest room). The past month has been just what I needed. 

Closure and connection

In August, I flew to California to visit my stepmom, see my mom’s twin sister, and make a pilgrimage to my mom’s grave. After that, I flew to Seattle to visit my friend Kerri. In my mind, I started calling it the “closure and connection” tour.

I revisited my mom’s house (just a drive by since the property no longer belongs to our family), a favorite used bookstore in Redding, and the McConnell Botanical Gardens, also in Redding, a place where I found much comfort during my mom’s last illness. I feel it’s unlikely that I’ll be traveling that far north in California again.  

My aunt is now 88 years old and is in an assisted living facility. My cousin met me there and we all went to lunch together. I loved catching up with my aunt, and since she’s my mom’s twin, it was almost like being with her, too.

My stepmom is facing her own challenges, though thankfully they are not life-threatening ones. We talked almost non-stop, ate lots of good food, and made plans for future visits.

Next, I flew to Seattle to stay with my friend Kerri. As usual, we explored lots of fun places and (of course) talked a lot.

Here are a few photos from the trip:

Mom's final resting place

At McConnell Gardens

Flowers on a random neighborhood walk in Washington


Dambo Troll "Pia the Peacekeeper" (Bainbridge Island)

Just one of the beautiful dahlias blooming in Washington

Pondering the future

While the trip was emotionally intense, it was also healing and comforting. There have been losses, but love, friendship, and beauty remain. I loved strengthening connections with my stepmom, aunt, and friend—it’s hard being so far from them, and I absolutely want to do better at staying in touch.

Now that I’m home and settled again, I’m thinking about the future and focus of Catching Happiness. So much has changed since I started this blog in 2009. Does Catching Happiness still serve a purpose, both for me and for you, the reader? I can’t imagine a life without some form of writing in it, but I’m unsure of the details. (Share your thoughts if you feel so inclined, either in comments or by hitting reply if you got this post via email.)

What have you been up to for the past month?!



Being present

Life Lessons From the Barn: Presence, Harmony, and Connection

March 03, 2017


Horses, like all animals, live in the moment. They’re in tune with their surroundings—aware of the turkey in the next field, the start up of the truck that brings their hay, or if you’ve got a carrot in your pocket. That presence, harmony and connection is something most of us want more of.

For the past six weeks, I’ve been experimenting with what horsemanship instructor Carolyn Resnick calls the Chair Challenge, “sharing territory” with my horse, Tank. Mostly it involves simply sitting in a chair in his paddock. Some days I read, some days I write in my barn journal. Others, I just sit and listen and look. The theory is that this practice develops a stronger bond between us, by “achieving a companionship experience and connection in the moment in harmony and unity.” We so often only spend time with our horses when we want to do something with them, when we have expectations. Simply hanging out allows us both to relax and become more in tune with each other.

When I first started this practice, my mind scrabbled around like a trapped lizard. I found it almost impossible to sit and do nothing. No matter how much I profess to want a present life, I more often than not careen through my day—racing from checking emails, to working out, to writing a blog post to cleaning the bathroom to running errands.

Tank napping next to my chair
At first, Tank was puzzled. Apparently, he’s absorbed my “we must be doing something all the time” attitude, and my journal entries record that he nudged me, nibbled on my magazine, journal, and pen. He still tries to do this sometimes, especially if he’s bored, and I have to shoo him away. At other times he’s happy to stand in his favorite spot looking out beyond the fence line, or doze in the corner of his shelter. I love it when he stands near me, gives a nice long sigh, and we savor the peace of being together with no agenda.  That’s when I realize one of the most pleasurable of the benefits of this exercise: harmony, living in the moment, the sheer pleasure of sharing space with this beautiful animal.

While I still have to fight my desire to “accomplish something” when I go to the barn, I’ve also started to crave the peaceful togetherness of sharing territory. Of hearing the tap-tapping of a pileated woodpecker, the haunting cry of a hawk. Of seeing sand, sky, puffy white clouds, scrubby woods bordering the paddocks. Of feeling Tank’s muzzle nudging me or resting for a moment on the top of my head. The quiet within the quiet. No one around, no sound of traffic or people.

Yesterday, I even found myself using this technique while waiting for a prescription to be filled. I stopped fidgeting, checking my phone for the time and mentally ticking off the next three items on my to-do list, in favor of sitting calmly, breathing slowly, and observing what was going on around me.

So what does this have to do with you, most likely a non-horse owner? The lesson is: if you want peace, harmony and connection, stop, look, listen, and be. Slow down especially when you feel called upon to rush. Quiet your thoughts, let your body relax. Let the moment draw out as long and smooth as possible.

You don’t need a green plastic chair and an American Quarter Horse. Wherever you are, slow down. Pay attention. Don’t miss the daily simple pleasures that are right there for your enjoyment.