Author: for-kindness

Sean Blake, our son was 27 when he died from an accidental overdose. Sean was for kindness. Writings, poems, and posts to keep his spirit alive. We share posts to remember Sean, advocate for better treatment for mental health. We share our journey through life after his death for parents of loss.

Palmistry by Sean Blake

Palm Reading – also called Palmistry or Hand Reading – is an ancient
psychology science based on the study of your hands, which was developed
in India more than 4,000 years ago.
As Immanuel Kant once said, “The hand is the visible part of the brain.” It
shows everything that is happening to you, both inside and outside,
especially the many changes you are experiencing throughout your life.
Palm reading is therefore an extremely useful psychological tool that can
help you know yourself better.
It can be used for self-discovery, relationships, career choices, recovery
from depression, opportunities for children, or any other use you may have.
One of the greatest benefits of palmistry is that handprints taken at
different times provide you with “Before” and “After” snapshots of your
personality. This can be a great instrument to chart progress in mental
healing or attitude/habit reforming.
This site has a lot to offer. Enjoy yourself, come back often, and remember that your life is in your hands.

Skiing

I went skiing this weekend. Sean was such a natural skier, he glided down the hill with the gentlest waves of motion. It was nice to remember the fun teaching him ski was, the joy of watching him, and the pride seeing him race. So I put on his snowsuit and went out there. It’s so hard to think of loss, never seeing him fly down the hill again #forkindness

Happy New Year

Grief and Gratitude

2020 has been a challenging year and there has been a tremendous amount of grief for all of us. Loss of so many people, illness for others, loss of jobs. There has been tremendous fear as well. So much anxiety for the virus and our families, coworkers, and neighbors.

Having done so much grief-work this year, the load does feel lighter. I can remember without tears, beautiful holiday memories, fun times filled with optimism for the future. I can enjoy the present . Enjoy what we do have to be very happy about. Relish in our smaller family.  The huge, gaping hole that was doesn’t seem quite as large this year.

There are a few strategies I have embraced. Not because I wanted to, because I had to learn new ways to cope. I start every morning with a few minutes of meditation. I enjoy the quiet, before my husband or dog rises to think of my day ahead. I read from a daily reader and contemplate the day.  To me, meditation continues with a walk outside, when I can. The 30-50 minutes of exercise outside grounds me. The angst of the morning melts away with every step.  I call it my daily dose of vitamin D. It may not be a huge hike or even a great calorie burner. It does settle my mood.

Before bed, in the evening, I do something relaxing before bed. TV or a meeting. Then I start my bedtime ritual which includes a gratitude practice. I read from a gratitude daily reader (Mark Nepo-The Book of Awakening) Then, I prioritize sleep.

On call nights and office days it means everything is shorter. I still try to get a few minutes in the day to start and end with intention and gratitude.

For the New Year, I hope to increase and improve my exercise regimen. I hope to continue to get out side more. Maybe some skiing, cross country skiing maybe downhill.  I hope to get more sailing in.  To do all this activity, I want to be in better shape. I hope some strength training will help with weight loss.

Since being diagnosed with diabetes I have had trouble managing my blood sugar, and weight has not been a huge priority. So this year I hope to improve on that area.

Peace and Love in the New Year, Sean’s Mom