Meanderings with Trudy

In chapter three of Dina’s book, we’re looking at the ways that we attend to our broken hearts. In this meander we show the shifts that Dina is still making in her own grief journey. How, after 22 years, she is finally making space for herself in this journey. It is such a beautiful way of appreciating how we embody grief and it nourishes our own experience in the world. And irrevocably changes us in the process.

Invitations:

Out of each episode this season, we are offering people ways to increase their grief literacy. This month, we’re offering an invitation to you to explore how you cope with loss. What tools do you use? Are you an intuitive griever or an instrumental one? Do you take action and do things as you grieve, or do you emote? What happens when you do this?

In the meanwhile, feedback is welcome, so please drop us a note at [email protected].

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Dina’s company is Grief Unleashed

Dina’s book, “Grief Unleashed: Moving from the hole in our hearts to whole-hearted” can be purchased through her publisher or at Singing Pebble Bookstore in Ottawa

Dina’s song, cowritten with Leslie Rohonczy

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

In chapter two of Dina’s book, we’re looking at reconciling loss. We start with last month’s exercise to look at our loss maps, and my extrapolation out, looking at belonging. It’s a great example of how to do the exercise and apply the learning to our own lives. Dina tells us that reconciling loss is about reasserting harmony in our experience, and with the insight from my loss map, I find more harmony inside myself when issues of belonging come up. Belonging, and so much more, is part of this episode.

Invitations:

Out of each episode this season, we are offering people ways to increase their grief literacy. This month, we’re offering an invitation to you to move out of your loss map and see how you’ve reconciled those losses you found. Start with one loss you've noticed, and move on from there. With a kind and non-judgemental mind, what do you see?

In the meanwhile, feedback is welcome, so please drop us a note at [email protected].

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Dina’s company is Grief Unleashed

Dina’s book, “Grief Unleashed: Moving from the hole in our hearts to whole-hearted” can be purchased through her publisher or at Singing Pebble Bookstore in Ottawa

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

In this second episode in our book review, we look at chapter one, which is all about grappling with grief. The starting point is understanding that we all grapple in different ways. And that is absolutely as it should be. But most of us don’t know how we grapple, and don’t realize that others ways can be different. So that is where we start, and we meander from there. I hope you find this both helpful and informative.

Invitations:

Out of each episode this season, we are offering people ways to increase their grief literacy. This month, we’re offering an invitation to you to explore your “loss line;” here's how: divide your age by four, and create four boxes on a piece of paper, breaking your years of life into four spans. For each span, write down the memories of loss that come up for you. Take a few passes at this, maybe over a few sittings, and write until you feel complete. Then, sit with what you've explored and consider: what do you see? Any trends, or threads that you see? What does this tell you about your approach to loss and grieving... how do you grapple? Dina explains more, so make sure you listen if you're interested in trying this out.

Feel free to share your expereince with this exercise, or anything that you hear, with us. Feedback is welcome, so please drop us a note at [email protected].

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Dina’s company is Grief Unleashed

Dina’s book, “Grief Unleashed: Moving from the hole in our hearts to whole-hearted” can be purchased through her publisher or at Singing Pebble Bookstore in Ottawa

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Canada Day is a delight here in the Great White North… the first heat of summer hits us, hard, and we settle into the dog days of summer, which are often too few but usually well appreciated.

On this Canada Day, I went for a kayak with my brother Steve on a tributary of the Ottawa River. Green’s Creek it’s called, and while in the city, it’s like going back into prehistoric time. We saw several heron, a large beaver and many turtles of many sizes. It was great.

I hope you enjoy this wee paddle.

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

In this first episode in our book review, we’re exploring the information in the Prelude of Dina’s book, “Grief Unleased: Moving from the hole in our hearts to wholehearted.” The Prelude sets the table for the book, sharing her “why” in writing…. which is to dispel the myths around grief, to demystify it in service of living a more full life, so we can better embody our experience and grow as a result of it. At the core, Dina knows that grief is an internal response to a severed attachment. The process of grieving effectively provides nutrients that builds our capacity to handle change. 

Invitations:

Out of each episode this season, we will offer a few invitations for practice for our listeners. This session has two:

1. Coming out of David Whyte’s poem, “The Journey,” what is the one line already inside of you that if you looked, you’d find?
2. Poetry is a window into our heart, an aid to help us mull over what matters to us. Find some that speaks to you. Explore. How does your grief show up here?

In the meanwhile, feedback is welcome, so please drop us a note at [email protected].

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Dina’s company is Grief Unleashed

Dina’s book, “Grief Unleashed: Moving from the hole in our hearts to whole-hearted” can be purchased through her publisher or at Singing Pebble Bookstore in Ottawa

Wind Phone, contact Dina if you want to make a donation to the one planned for the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Feasting… author Martha Beck tells us that feasting has three essential elements: celebration, nourishment and gratitude. That’s what we talk about today in this final episode of the book, and of this 2024 spring season.

I will be on break until October, but offering a “Meander Again” set of episodes, recasting my six conversations with Dina Bell-Laroche and her book, which takes us to mid-August. After that, I will go silent until October, a real break during which my creative juices will marinate. 

Thank you for your good company! See you in the fall!

Feel free to share your thoughts with me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear how your work has gone, and how you are onboarding, or playing with, these ten daily practices. 

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

“What Comes From Spirit,” by Richard Wagamese

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lily.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Connection! This is the chapter where I really feel like the rubber hits the road. We see how the practices support us in our relationship with ourselves, and then we can apply these skills to our relationships in the bigger world. That’s what we cover in this next to final chapter in the book.

Feel free to share your thoughts with me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear how your work is going as we meander through these daily practices.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

Brené Brown on shame and vulnerability

The anatomy of a conversation

The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lily.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Laughter! That’s the focus of today’s meander, as we explore the third last chapter in Martha Beck’s book, “The Joy Diet: 10 daily practices for a happier life.” We visit a laughter yoga class from 2023 on Australia’s sunshine coast and hear from two laughter yoga teachers about the benefits of such a thing. There’s good science behind it too, that Beck explores in the book. I hope you’ll have a read of that, and explore her invitation to increase your quotient of laughs per day.

Feel free to share your thoughts with me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear how your work is going as we meander through these daily practices.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

Laughter Yoga, edited, care of ABC Australia, Laughter Yoga International

Baby laughter, child laughter, royalty free, with thanks

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lily.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

In our final meander together with Dina, we explore the final chapter in “Grief Unleashed: Moving from the hole in our hearts to wholehearted.” This Postlude explores the work that Dina is confidently and humbling stepping into, the work of a Grief Doula, which she defines as companioning people in their grief journey. This is such big work, and such important work, as life is full of grief and loss, not just death but losses of all kinds. And learning how to manage grief as a normal, healthy and involuntary activity has been the focus of this book, and all in service of helping us experience joy in our lives.

My take-aways from the book, very high level, are:

1. Loss is simply what happens to us in life. It’s part of living fully. It is natural. Meaning is what we make of it. 
2. We all move through grief, and recovery, at our own pace.
3. STUGs – sudden temporary upsurges of grief – happen because grieving is not linear; we ebb and flow in our experience for the rest of our lives.
4. Listening to someone in their grief is our superpower as humans.
5. Grieving takes effort, awareness, self-compassion, time, and community. We all have a part to play.
6. Grief is love.

My final invitation to you is to consider these take-aways and see how they land for you now. And what, if anything else, did you notice that is meaningful for you?

Feedback is welcome, so please drop us a note at [email protected].

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Dina’s company is Grief Unleashed

Dina’s book, “Grief Unleashed: Moving from the hole in our hearts to whole-hearted” can be purchased through her publisher or at Singing Pebble Bookstore in Ottawa

Richard Wagamese’s book “Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations”

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

In this chapter on play, I feel like I have really “shown my work.” I liked this chapter, and the invitation to make all that you do in your life feel like play. The exercises are great, and I walk through my answer to what my real career actually is and if I am living into that in my every day. Sneak peek: I am! 

Feel free to share your thoughts with me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear how your work is going as we meander through these daily practices.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

You can find "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life" by Martha Beck at Indigo in Canada, and at local bookstores near you, like Books on Beechwood.

Learn more about Martha Beck.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

My friend Richard Godin shot this beautiful picture of the water lily.  I use it with permission.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.