thursday things that make me think

i have to clarify something from last week's edition of thinking thursday. i'm grateful to my sweet friend rachel ottley who lovingly challenged and voiced her concern regarding my comments about thinking too much...

confession: my therapist did not out and out say "rachel, you think to much".

but that's how i interpreted what he said - i think too much therefore i should stop thinking so much. 

it sounded funny (to me) to write "so, my shrink says i think too much". my attempt at humor i suppose.


what he in fact said and what he confirmed to me again in our session yesterday was that much of his job is actually teaching people how to think - how to live a conscious life. he doesn't have to do that with me. he believes my ability to ponder things deeply is actually an incredible gift. where his concern lies, though, is that people like me often tend to get caught in thoughts, to ruminate, to be too busy thinking about life than actually living life.

as opposed to my negative thoughts which were very out of control, he does NOT think the way i process things (ponder them, write about them) is unhealthy. he simply wants to make sure i stay on top of my thought life, that i am in charge of my thoughts rather than the opposite. i agree with him that i certainly lean in the over-thinking direction and it's good to be aware of that predisposition so that it doesn't lead to consequences such as depression and anxiety (the common side effects of a deep thinker).

thanks for letting me set that straight.

it still sounds sillier to say "my shrink says i think too much".  :-)


so. on to the things that made me think this week...


i think these yoga poses that are said to relieve anxiety might come in handy someday (everyday).

i think this list of must-reads was posted by no less than twenty people in my facebook feed. i've read 18 of them but am feeling challenged to read them all! my very favorite (of the ones i've read) - a prayer for owen meany. i cannot tell you how many times i started and stopped that book. it took me ten years to finally finish it and, by golly, i love, love, LOVED it! i am a big john irving fan.

i think this idea to completely step away from screens for one day each week would be very difficult (hello withdrawal) but very rewarding. i'll let you know if jeremy and i implement this in our family.

i think this 3-ingredient dessert  looks like something jeremy's mom would enjoy. she LOVES chocolate and cherries. and i love an easy recipe!

i think this video about a deep thinking, poetic man who was reunited with his family after 35 years of homelessness is so heartwarming. even though i have been trying to limit my facebook usage lately i cannot deny its beautiful ability to connect people.


happy thursday!