Mindfulness Garden Games
by Joann Calabrese
author of Growing Mindful

Garden Catalogs, Seed Lust, & Accepting Limitations

  Spring is Coming I know it is super cold in much of the country, but there are sure signs of spring if we are paying attention.  The minutes of sunlight are increasing each day and seed catalogs are arriving in the mail. If you are not a gardener, it might be hard to understand … Read more

Setting the Wheel in Motion – Bringing Intention to Life

My 2017 Intention It’s the last Sunday of the year and I’ve made it to a finish line of sorts. At this time last year, I set an intention to write a weekly blog on a word or a concept for mindful focus.  My goal was multi-purposed. Setting a weekly focal point would give me … Read more

Turning Points – Mindfulness Focus Words

    The mindfulness focus this week is turning points. The funny thing about turning points is that we don’t always know when we’ve made it around the bend.  Oh sure, sometimes it is obvious. It may be something dramatic like a new job or a move to a new city.  But often, turning points … Read more

Longest Night – Winter Solstice

The blog post below was written one year ago.  Sadly, it feels even more relevant 365 days later.  In hopes that the light will overcome the darkness very soon, I am re-posting it now. Thoughts on the Longest Night – Winter Solstice Winter solstice always carries the symbolism of light overtaking the darkness. The longest … Read more

Leaning Into Darkness

      Arguing With Winter I am not a fan of winter or the darkness that accompanies it. The sun sets in Denver just after 4:30 PM this week, making for a very long night.  And although the weather can be balmy here when the sun is up, temperatures can plummet twenty degrees after … Read more

Finding The Sweet Spot

    We’ve been immersed in making soap for holiday gifts again this year.  This is not soap from scratch, but instead the easy melt and pour glycerin soap that is available at craft stores.  Someone else has done the hard work of creating the soap base. We just melt it and shape it into … Read more

Extending Gratitude Post Thanksgiving

    One week ago, many of us spent Thanksgiving day recognizing the things we were grateful for. We might have taken turns around the dinner table or posted our thoughts to Facebook.  Perhaps we made an actual list on paper or in our heads. And then we moved on. It can be easy to … Read more

Which Wolf? This Week’s Mindfulness Focus

There is a fable that goes something like this:  A young boy shared with his grandfather that he was angry with a friend. The grandfather told him that  there are two wolves inside each of us fighting for control. One is angry, greedy, selfish, and sees itself as separate from the rest of the world. … Read more

Showing Up – This Week’s Mindfulness Focus

    Green organisms respond quickly to small changes in soil, water, sun, and wind. They also respond to other plants and insects by changing their own chemistry. Often this is instantaneous.  It is hard to imagine what it would look like for a plant to not show up or be present.  They don’t have … Read more

Welcoming Darkness

We have arrived again at a place of darkness. I’m not speaking figuratively. It’s just dark outside!  Because of time change and the approaching winter my drive home from work is enveloped in darkness.  The Denver sun sets at 4:49 PM today. I feel much resistance to this annual cycle, preferring long days of sunshine … Read more