Category: gratitude

• Why Leafology?

  

  how I came to this name for my practice…

  susannasays

  July 17, 2025

  #Leafology, art, BLOG, connection, creativity, expressive art, expressive writing, gratitude, learning as lifestyle, poetry, Poetry Therapy, resilience, rising, rising above, spirit, thinking out loud, transformative language, truth telling, visual thinking, words, writing

  philosophy

• There are always shades of gray…

  Last evening we watched a deeply moving film. The title was, “Mrs. Lowry and Son“. I highly recommend it! As “artists” we were intrigued with the story, impressed with the cinematography and acting by both Vanessa Redgrave and Timothy Spall. Even though the subtle, yet adept directing by Adrian Noble produced a work deserving of…

  susannasays

  January 14, 2023

  #Leafology, art, balance, compassion, connection, contentment, creativity, depression, describing feeling, disappointment, equanimity, expressive art, expressive writing, gratitude, home, journaling, Lapidus, learning as lifestyle, Li Po, mindfulness, paying attention, poetry, service, slowing down, thinking out loud, transformative language, truth telling, visual thinking, voice, winter, words, work, writing

• #bounceback

  Caregivers are compassionate. It is their nature. For most humans it is their nature and very natural to care. It can be an exhausting job though. Sometimes the compassion well feels pretty dry and empty. Oftentimes, caregivers are not the first to notice the symptoms of empty well or exhaustion until they are just about…

  susannasays

  January 5, 2016

  art, balance, compassion, compassion fatigue, contentment, creativity, depression, describing feeling, disappointment, equanimity, expressive art, expressive writing, fun, gratitude, Lapidus, mindfulness, paying attention, Poetry Therapy, resilience, rising above, SAD, seasonal affective disorder, service, thinking out loud, visual thinking, work, writing

  #bounceback, compassion fatigue, depression, expressive art, expressive writing, poetry, recover your self, resilience, think, visual thinking, writing

• Crow Lessons in poem form

  Crow Lessons susanna suchak Clickety, clack, talking back Crow sits, watches intently I sit, We—Sharing secrets he— Resting in old tree Me—Sipping cuppa tea Lone souls he and me Still, we’re Good company.

  susannasays

  July 22, 2015

  #Leafology, balance, contentment, equanimity, gratitude, learning as lifestyle, paying attention, poetry

  #Leafology, crow, gratitude, poetry

• Crow Lessons

  Early last spring a messenger came to me. He perched in the ancient oak tree outside my studio and peered into the window inquisitively. Crows are very curious. Image found here: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Crow/id All the while I was sitting there tippy tapping on my keyboard, this crow watched me, tilting his head this way and that…

  susannasays

  July 21, 2015

  balance, compassion, connection, contentment, equanimity, gratitude, learning as lifestyle, mindfulness, paying attention, slowing down

  communication, connection, crow, gratitude, inelligence, language, lessons, magic, namaste, observation, paying attention, secrets, talking

• Pilgrims

  Twice in the past few days I have read similar versions of the following story (which I paraphrase): “A troubled pilgrim, exhausted from the journey, asked a sage for help. The sage gazed compassionately into the pilgrim’s eyes and after a time he spoke, “I can offer you one of two things – a map…

  susannasays

  December 30, 2014

  contentment, gratitude, rising above

  Be the boat, Musings, Winter

• Reflections on the 45th Parallel..

  susannasays

  October 16, 2014

  balance, connection, equanimity, gratitude, rising above, spirit forming

  45th Parallel, Grateful, Lion’s Head

• Thankful…

  It’s been a week since I journalled … until this morning. Now for some, and for me at other times in my life, this would be no news, a big yawn, a so what kind of revelation. But I am a transformative language coach. In other words, I assist people to become mindful through expressing…

  susannasays

  October 10, 2014

  balance, connection, contentment, equanimity, gratitude, journaling, mindfulness, spirit forming, writing

• Planting Seeds …

  Today is Labour Day. The group I spoke to last night paraded in Port Elgin this morning. They will partake of a well-deserved BBQ this afternoon. I have been a member of CUPE, the OSSTF and grew up as the child of the CAW. I know that my life was the better for that. So…

  susannasays

  September 1, 2014

  gratitude, poetry, Poetry Therapy, rising above, service, thinking out loud, work

• Monday’s Musings

      Spent a most delightful morning in the presence of a wonderful woman. What an indulgence. Sadly, an indulgence we often deny ourselves. To be with someone who fills our cup and loves us just as we are in this present moment. An act of mindfulness that is also a gift to self. I am…

  susannasays

  August 25, 2014

  balance, contentment, deeply, equanimity, gratitude, Poetry Therapy, Uncategorized, writing