I write this sitting in my meditation spot at home.

There a stick of incense lit, resting in a little wooden holder, a few feet away from me.

It’s quiet in the room, and dim.  A perfect spot for thinking.

I’m watching the plumes of smokes as they rise from the stick of incense. A fan is on, and so the smoke rises and falls, billowing and withering as it goes.

I feel like the stick of incense and the urgent ribbon of smoke that’s rising from it.

Alive, consuming, and a bit chaotic.

That’s why I’m planning to stop writing this blog.

The end of the blog

I realize that I need to stop writing in this blog.

I can put together a list of easily describable reasons for this—

but they sound a lot like justifications,

and I like to think that listening to one’s inner cues carries more weight

than any long list of obligations or explanations.

(That said, if you’re genuinely curious, I’ll just say that running a sliding scale practice is taking more energy, planning, and writing than I had expected, my practice is full, and I am tired.)

If I turn inward, if I knock and listen, I know what I’ll hear: slow down.

For me, right now, this is what I need to do. And that means stepping away from this blog.

It’s been an interesting project, writing once weekly for three and a half years. My website gets thousands of visitors each month, and it’s due mostly to these weekly posts.

But now it’s time to stop.   It’s time for me to read, not write.  To absorb and to think and to sit in stillness.

Will I start up again in the future? Am I going away so I can come back?

I’m not sure. Maybe! I’ll decide then.

If you’d like to be notified of any future posts, you can always sign up for my monthly newsletter.

I do intend to keep writing that & it’s another surefire way to stay in touch with me.

Just know, if you’ve been reading since the beginning, or if this is your first post, that I’m grateful that you took time to read.

Knowing you were reading is what kept me writing for so long.

My invitation to you

My goal in writing this blog has always been to bring something of value to you, some gentle form of self-care that you can borrow and put into motion in your own world.

So, take a quiet moment and wonder:

what smoke signals are you sending up?

Still and steady?

Chaotic?

Do you need space for quiet reflection, to gather up your scatter?

Or are you on the verge of something big,

needing to be fanned furiously so you burst into passionate flame?

Life’s seasons ask different things of us.

How’s the weather where you are—which season are you in?

Reading the smoke signals

If I turned the fan off in this room, I know what would happen.

It would warm. The smoke would rise in a single, calm column—a slight wiggle or quiver as the elements burned unevenly, maybe, but it would be steady.

There would be a lot less life in that ribbon of smoke, perhaps, but there would also be stillness.

And right now, stillness is what I need.

I’ve enjoyed our conversations, your comments and private emails, and certainly your quiet presence as we’ve walked this journey together.

I continue to schedule appointments in my counseling practice in south Austin– so if you’re in the area & looking for some support, drop me a line and I’ll schedule a free consultation for you.

Wherever you are,

I hope you’ll continue practicing taking good care of you,

saying no  when you need to,

and being kind and compassionate to yourself.

You surely do deserve all the kindness & compassion in the world.

Warmly,

Ann