March 6th was my birthday. I spent the day with good friends. Lunch, dinner, and then a fireside chat on my patio that night. My life hasn’t been the same since. And I know that your life hasn’t been the same either. I heard it on the news in disbelief. The talk of “social distancing” and the prediction of a global pandemic. It was hard to believe that something like that could come true. Surely our scientists, government, and health care system could stop this thing and protect us. But they could not.

I, like many others, have taken a step back these past few months as an opportunity of self-reflection as well as healing. I was impacted by the stress of a virus out of control, lock downs, and financial concerns, but I have also been dealing with family stress for the last three years that has had a bigger impact on my life, health, and well-being. In a way, I was thankful for the lockdown as it gave me permission to stay home, isolate, recuperate, and heal from the trauma I have been experiencing for the past 3 years. 

I'd like to share a bit of my journey with you here

Three years ago my dad asked me to help him with some of the management of his business (commercial rental property). As I dug into the work that needed to be done I recognized a severe decline in his mental abilities, but he was not willing to look at or discuss the situation with me. Last year I went to a doctor's appointment with him and said out loud that I was concerned about him and asked the doctor for an evaluation for dementia. My father became enraged, hired an attorney, and cut me off, in fear of losing control.

Earlier this year we were able to file for a third party conservator but the hearing was delayed because of the C-19 shut down. In June the court granted our request. We now have a conservator overseeing his finances and managing the business and I am out of the line of fire, so to speak. I have not seen my dad in over a year and have not talked to him on the phone since late February. It has been a difficult journey and I know that I have done my best and did what I needed to do to take care of myself as well as my father. My dad did receive an evaluation and was diagnosed with moderate executive dysfunction last July (2019).

I will be talking about this journey more in the future as well as how to manage the grief and ambiguous loss that this scenario can bring up.

Not Business as Usual

It seems that between taking care of my dad's business, preparing for the court hearing, and then the craziness that this year has brought, I have not had the energy or clarity around my business and yet new insights have been coming to me for months and I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you the direction I will be heading. I am very excited about the new ideas and opportunities ahead of me.

A New Business Name and Website

In the spring of 2019, I completed my hypnotherapy certification. I spent the fall practicing with clients and was just getting ready to start this amazing work when everything was shut down due to the pandemic.