Hi Reader! Happy Fall! 🍁 How’s it going so far? Are you reaching for the cozier clothes? Me, I’m in comfort mode. Last week, in a fit of nostalgia, I made pudding from scratch. Not from a box! I feel very accomplished. (LMK if you want the recipe.) Another comfort-seeking thing I've been doing is to deep dive on whatever song is playing on repeat in my brain. Now, the jukebox in my brain is not that sophisticated. It's quite literal. For instance, this week, the song has been the Queen/Bowie...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader! How is your summer shaping up? We spent a muggy week in Woodstock, NY, a lovely small town with a big reputation. The close heat brought me right back to childhood. Ahh, this is what summer feels like. We can’t possibly get anything done. Productivity must go on pause. How do you feel about productivity? I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, it’s necessary. In my small business, I’m always asking, What’s the most effective strategy? What’s the best use of my time? What’s the ROI...
2 months ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader! I guess I planted dahlias? Usually in Spring, I plant pretty annuals, knowing that they’ll die of natural causes and I won’t be to blame. Turns out I challenged that pattern last year by putting in a perennial. Thanks for the delightful surprise, last-year self! Just for fun, what joy-giving little thing can you do for your future self? Get on the library waitlist for that bestseller? Book a spa day in October? Order the cozy blanket that will take 3 months to arrive? One...
4 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader! In another installment of “Crispin stretches a metaphor to describe Integrative Alexander Technique”... Are you familiar with the economics terms “leading and lagging indicators”? Leading indicators are things like “building permits filed.” This is something a builder can do on purpose that sets up what’s going to happen next. Buildings will get built. Lagging indicators are things like “new construction sold.” This is a result the builder would like to have happen but can’t...
5 months ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader! Do you like to be told what to do? Many of my clients are independent, creative, think-outside-the-box kinds of people. Not a crowd that loves being bossed around. My own independent disposition is why Integrative Alexander Technique (IAT) really clicked when it showed up in my life in the early 90s. First off, it was something I could learn to use for myself, so I wasn't dependent on my (incredible, amazing, kind, wise) teacher. I was able to avoid injury and stay pretty healthy,...
6 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader! Do you know the phrase, “People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones?” As a child, this was very serious instruction. My family lived in a house with large windows. On some level I knew the phrase included a teaching metaphor, but also, with a child's understanding, I thought the lesson was meant especially for us. We had to be very polite or our windows would break. It can be easy to take metaphors literally, because that's how metaphors work. This = that. Sometimes,...
7 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader! How are you doing? An answer I've been hearing recently is "scattered." Back in my office admin days, every so often the computer would get slow, and in the 90’s, that was reeeeally sloooooow. The IT guy would come to my desk, open up a secret window and type in "defrag C:"– system defragmentation – to gather all the little bits of information that were cluttering the system. My very non-technical interpretation of what was happening is that the defrag tidied little remnants of...
8 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader! Do you remember playing Simon Says? That game where "Simon" gives you permission to move but also tells you to move without permission and if you move without Simon saying so, you both lose and are humiliated at the same time? Was that game fun? You tell me. Maybe it taught self-control? Compliance? In my memory, it also added nervous system confusion. It’s no surprise, the things we experience as children become part of our very structure, and affect how we operate throughout our...
9 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader! Remember this old joke? Patient: "Doctor, it hurts when I do THIS.” [Insert imaginary obviously-going-to-be-painful image of your choice.] Doctor: "Well, don't do that." It’s a silly reminder to treat ourselves better. Don’t do the thing that’s hurting you. Sound easier said than done? Sometimes we can't see other options. A client recently described what it was like to manage the everyday stresses of living in New York City. She said, "When I feel good, I'm up and energetic,...
11 months ago • 4 min read
