CHRISTMAS in JULY?!?! What? Recently, after being at the STL Soccer game and watching the effort by our CITY team, Brian and I were headed home and listening to the KMOX broadcast of the Cardinal game. We barely made it in the house to turn on the TV and watch the Cardinals WIN! It was their second VICTORY of the DAY! At some point during the 9th inning while we were doing this, I noticed a phrase at the bottom of our screen…It read, “ CHRISTMAS in JULY”! Immediately…this phrase jettisons me back to yesteryear; watching the Venture, K-Mart and Famous-Barr (your Christmas ANGEL store…!) ads as child. It never felt all the way right when the sales would begin describing Christmas and Winter Holidays when we were anticipating fireworks displays, heading to the pool, playing kickball in the yard, and collecting fireflies. Ahhhhhh CHRISTMAS in JULY! To me, these words, CHRISTMAS in JULY, stir up music in my heart, mind and soul. While we do not feel ready for the Holiday Season to embark on us at this very minute, Brian and I LOVE the thought of CELEBRATION, FAMILY, FUN, & LOVE! Do you? What brings music to your ears? How does your heart experience an extra surge of happy beats? Is it a beautiful display of fireworks like many have taken in lately? Is it the laughter of children in the neighborhood playing? Perhaps it is an array of special people in your life or maybe even some important memories of days gone by. Throughout July, maybe we take some time to reflect on what has been and what is yet to come by the time we will be making it through another calendar year. Has any event or happening resonated deeply with you? Among our summer favorites, we have integrated some small house and yard projects, sought to carve new paths within our daily work, intentionally focused upon being “there” for some, and have centered in on embracing the unpredicted events and opportunities we have been offered. So, whether you celebrate Christmas or not, as you head to local sporting events, enjoy a favorite cool summer treat with those you love or simply enjoy the longer daylight hours of summer with taking just one more walk through the neighborhood, try to find moments to savor and embrace all of the beautiful; past, present and yet to come. Do you find yourself already anticipating another holiday to come? Try not to resist or overlook the potential adventures awaiting in the here and nearly NOW! And, just sayin’…the ULTIMATE Christmas in July for US this year? Well, it is fast approaching as we anticipate the arrival of some of our dear extended family dropping in for a visit very soon…the elements of surprise and joy and new memories to make loom sure. To us, this is simply the BEST & that’s a WINNER! Through the years Amidst life’s fears Whether it is in December or July Or any other month, time flies by From then & onto now A heart surge & WOW Perspective matters Amidst life shatters Whoever you are with & whatever you do Delight in each & every moment…be TRUE Memories & photos galore Of those we so much adore At the Grand Hotel Our hearts did swell From Ted Drewes to CITY & Cardinal Nation Our people are with us in fresh anticipation For the unexpected to be yet lead the way As newfound memories are formed today Stirring arrays of enlightened emotion Amidst loved ones and the commotion Seek for reasons to celebrate Letting JOY & PEACE infiltrate Always find memories of days gone away By looking ahead to walk into another day More than research or reflection Relationships deserve protection As with a sundae topped with whipped cream & a cherry Lean into and embrace every moment and do not tarry Cherish the treasures of life and good all year long Clean out spiff up and with possibility move along With agility finding our best attitude Coloring every bit of life in gratitude Lean into the BEAUTY-FULL Embrace the WONDER-FULL As always we invite you to the party of reminiscing, celebrating or sharing…your thoughts are welcome…so join the conversation. © 2024 Kathleen Bauer, Ed D Alongside her husband B 

Ahhhhhh Flooded with Nostalgia! Have you ever been filled or overflowing with Nostalgia which flowed in like a tsunami? So what is nostalgia?? It is sometimes defined as a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for a possible return to some past period. Nostalgia may also invoke a sense of homesickness or invite cherished memories of days gone by. Nostalgia is triggered by something reminding an individual of an event or item from their past. This resulting emotion can vary from happiness to sorrow. The term "feeling nostalgic" is more commonly used to describe pleasurable experiences but can actually also be triggered by times of sadness or discomfort. Nostalgia is one way of coping with things in life like social isolation or disconnectedness, loneliness. Times of adversity can trigger nostalgia because remembering who we were and where we have been helps us to identify how we want to grow forward and offer us elements of continuity to do so. Nostalgia is known to serve several important psychological purposes and we can distinguish three types… Restorative, longing for the restoration of a lost comfort or home or feeling or person; Utopian, transforming our longing into an idealistic feeling or memory; Reflective, leading us to focus on recovering from a perceived loss as we ponder questions of our past history. Why is nostalgia so “powerful”? Some experts in the field have found that nostalgia activates a network of brain regions which are involved in memory, emotion, and reward. These regions assist us in retrieving memories and processing emotions. Hopefully these emotional events produce a loop of positive emotions eventually, and assist or help us through times of transition and uncertainty. Additionally, they may serve to boost our hearts and brighten our outlook on the future as these memories remind us of our ability to grow and persevere. Nostalgia can offer feelings of pleasure, good, settled, comfortable… Nostalgia can awaken sadness and stir memories… What sorts of memories bring you to feeling nostalgic? Are they pleasant? Peaceful? Thought provoking? Perhaps sad or maybe even distressing? Maybe some nostalgic emotions are filled with pressure for some reason and truly do not feel okay. Whatever feelings of nostalgia that rise up in us, we have them, and regardless of our feelings or perspectives, we may want consider working through them in order to grow and move forward in life. Some feelings of nostalgia which come up for me might resonate with some of us gathered here as well… Simply the word… HOME Family Going home A special song or tune floating through the air like “…and I think to myself…what a wonderful WORLD…” Fresh baked cookies…YUM! Grilling out A favorite dish or pie The smell of home The smell of spring…and fresh grass growing Baseball season, the crack of the bat… Or fresh rain A Creek or Lake Going fishing or hiking FAMOUs BARR French Onion Soup…(wait…am I dating myself??!) The Forest or woods The beach or mountains The last day of school, graduation ceremonies… Covid 19 Pandemic, the Loss of a loved one… For many reasons we can all easily become flooded with Nostalgia. Recently…Brian and I attended a conference event in Washington D.C. and as we were walking down the street of the National Mall…I was FLOODED with Nostalgia… Not only because of hearing The Star Spangled Banner done beautifully at the conference venue earlier that day, not just because we had been to Arlington cemetery to honor those who have served our country…while these were amazing experiences, walking down the streets of Washington D. C. being reminded of the sights and sounds I recalled visiting numerous times growing up and then several times in younger adulthood with our son David, and one other time with Brian…my emotions of nostalgia were gushing in like a water fall! I simply cannot be there without nostalgia filling me…but not in regard to the above listed. The nostalgia I feel when I am in our nation’s capital typically reverts back to one specific time there…where my parents, dear friends, one of whom was a physician and other extended family members who lived in the area were touring. Among the other sightseeing and touring plans…on one specific morning our entire group was headed to the White House for a VIP tour…Having relatives live nearby we had been before but absolutely loved the opportunity to return and be reminded of America the Beautiful! The morning of, I awakened and oh dear I felt AWFUL! Now I am not often sick, nor was I a sickly child growing up, I achieved perfect attendance throughout my school years. So I went to my Mom and told her I wasn’t feeling well, to which she replied, “Oh you’re fine, we don’t want to ruin anyone’s time here. Get dressed come on down to breakfast because we have VIP tickets to the White House today!” So I aimed to pull my young self together and fumbled to the dining room. When I mentioned I was not at all hungry, I was told by both my Mom and her identical twin sister that I needed to eat some Wheaties! And so I did, (hint…this did not turn out well!). Let’s fast forward a few hours after a half hour drive to downtown D.C. a walk to the White House VIP line to stand in and wait. It was July. I was fading and FAST. I continued feeling like I wanted to just sit or lay down anywhere…and as a tweenager, this was not “cool”. But the longer the day carried on the worse and worse I felt. Persevere I did…so we finally make it into the White House…I barely made it through our tour, when all of a sudden, we arrived to the classic space we have all seen for years on TV where the podium sits beyond a RED carpet, the American Flag is placed in front of the Blue Curtain which displays an emblem of The White House…Yes, right there in that spot, by body could no longer hold onto the Wheaties I had complied to eat earlier in the day and I threw up…I was so incredibly ILL…Our VIP tour turned into a chaotic mess with… Secret Service coming out of the walls from hidden doorways… Family shocked… Guests appalled… And my Mother and I being whisked through a doorway down a stair well to a bathroom for freshening up… Now, on to the rest of this day and for another few days, my family and friends continued touring and sightseeing, having me trapse along, just KNOWING I would be better soon…However, I did not recover, I became weaker and weaker and weaker…YIKES! What was happening??? So…the rest of the story is…I ended up with an extended stay in the Washington D.C./Virginia area and had to endure an emergency appendectomy while there. All along it was my appendix. Wow! Who knew? No one! So when I say Nostalgia is not always a “WARMING or COMFORTING” thought it’s not right?! The greater question for us is… When we are flooded with nostalgia…WHAT do we do with it? How are we to handle it? Do we introspect and try to grow forward? Are we able to use nostalgia as a springboard for another level of healthiness? Where does self-care fit into nostalgia? So…why? Why do I share this with you? Partly because this season we are in right now can definitely be one of nostalgia inviting sentimentality and reflection. So I share this story with you to encourage you along the path of life. It is my firm belief there is not ever waste to any experience we have endured. Not all nostalgic experiences feel comfortable… yet…We can still learn from them! When we feel or perhaps fear there may be some wasted spaces and places we have tread, or positions we find ourselves in or even new opportunities which arise. Perhaps, regardless of our stage in life it is time to recycle, repurpose and reuse these emotions to mindfully move along the path of life. As we go through the here and now and circumstances seem to spin out of control, regardless of the situation, memories, moments or hardships we are enduring, may we quest for settling into the flooding of memories, savoring the best and the beautiful as we learn from each scenario. Not long ago, our grown son was over and we were sharing robust conversation with him. Very organically, the topic of nostalgia came up. He began unfolding his view on nostalgia and mentioned emphatically the fact that people often only use the word as attached to super positive memories. Brian answered him saying, you know Mom has had some things to say on this lately. And as I agreed, I may have been heard saying while smiling… “Ahhhhhh that’s my son!” And of course I was once again… Flooded with Nostalgia! Seasons of Nostalgia…those sentimental longings, and deep affections for the past and personal associations. Every reminiscence, remembrance, and recollection, which whisks us away to different times…may we embrace them as a reminder to dig deep and strengthen on! Let us revel in each and every situation Finding peace and grace and celebration Through the years Beyond our tears With mindful presence Illuminating our essence Truth to discern Each & every turn Find hope & song To pull you along Ever strong and true and bold As our story is shared and told © 2024 Kathleen Bauer, Ed D Alongside her husband B

By now in your journey… regardless of age or stage, you have most likely heard the term “SEL” or Social Emotional Learning. But what does it really and truly imply? SEL is a detailed and multi-faceted process through which we function by; understanding and managing emotions, making plans and striving to achieve goals, feeling and expressing empathy and thought for others, establishing and maintaining positive and healthy relationships, and displaying responsibility in decision making. Extending far beyond personal feelings, SEL is an ongoing process of merging what one knows to be true in a situation and then implementing appropriate skills and actions to direct and take the next steps and so on. SEL skills do need to be taught and practiced, lived out. Similar to other natural bents, some individuals are inclined and wired more instinctively to implement effective SEL competencies into real life situations. When prioritizing SEL in life, components of EQ or Emotional Intelligence will undoubtedly rise up. Possessing qualities of emotional intelligence will lead us to face life and the inevitable crisis points with lower stress levels and fewer overreactions. Self and social-awareness and management of self and relationships are the focus. Maintaining self-awareness and accepting one’s own capabilities and limitations leads to a strong foundation for being impactful in achieving success in self-help and growth, benefiting those around us, and fostering an overall sense of peace and happiness. Effectively navigating through life, an abundance of situations offer opportunity. Opportunity to lead even when it is not the title given to you, opportunity to stay quiet when you desperately yearn to set the record straight or prove your point, opportunity to speak up when you feel emotionally and physically tongue tied. We all have had and will continue to have growth experiences in the realm of Social Emotional Learning and its implementation. Are you able to articulate benefits you have gained thus far from seeking to learn and integrate SEL into your own life? Will you be willing to probe deeper? When have you struggled to implement SEL? Truth be known, we’ve all been there right? In the midst of an unbelievable conflict, one we may not have seen coming and could never have imagined…what happens in that moment? Seek to find commonalities of life experiences, both positive and negative, build on them well with a hope to acquire fresh skills, and hone in on the “important” and lasting impacts. After this…take the risk to make needful life, heart, and soul adjustments…This is an ongoing, thought provoking and HONEST process…Go for it! What are the differences in our emotional stances which may lead us to pursue better comprehension of our own heart and mind, embracing another person’s situation, and then demonstrating an appropriate and respectful demeanor amidst chaos and edginess that in the moment feels impossible to navigate through? Bottom line question…Where are you in your journey? It is not ever too late to learn Find a way to take a fresh turn Many talk about being well-rounded Consider options to keep you grounded In strength manage yourself and understand Impact for good no matter where you land With courage, confidence, and initiative Challenge yourself to live appreciative Embracing self and others mind and soul Making a plan to achieve the next goal Take each deliberate step abandoning haste Not one experience will you want to waste When called upon to sympathize Willingly take the risk to empathize Even with limitations and a lack of access Trust and wait and believe in the process Mindfully journeying leads to a continuum of health Social Emotional Learning offers heart and soul wealth © 2024 Kathleen Bauer, Ed D Alongside her husband B Add into this conversation by sharing personal experiences & scenarios!

January 29  th is NATIONAL PUZZLE DAY…This is truly what they say! This may be overstated at times, but oh so true. Doesn’t LIFE feel like an ENORMOUS puzzle to untangle or solve? Do you feel like you are relentlessly on guard to cover, work through, need to solve or figure a whole lot of somethings and happenings out?? Are you concerned in the here and now and are not all the way sure how to get through just for today? Relating to good friends, acquaintances, coworkers, or even family members or siblings might feel puzzling and filled with emotions which need to be navigated through to put into place. Our interactions with others and many relationships oftentimes cause us to wonder if what we are doing, saying or how we are being matters. And then we continue to ponder more and find ourselves on a wondering jaunt, maybe even a bit puzzled as we are seeking ways out of how we might find the best way to work out of or hopefully work well to get through the current MAZE before us. Perhaps in this puzzling life…we will all benefit from some tried and true thoughts toward demystifying the discombobulation which feels looming and foggy. Staying active and aware of mindful living both physically and mentally matters. Cognitive clarity is a vital component to life and living. When we endeavor forward in a variety of activities we are naturally energized. Engaging in conversation, thinking activities, reading aloud and quietly, along with completing puzzles are all pieces which help us keep vitalized and refresh on this journey we call life. Resiliency is seizing opportunities to enhance and multiply existing strength. Are you resilient? Implementing mindfully rich activities refreshes and offers a boost assisting us in building upon our fortes while simultaneously challenging areas which could benefit from growth. Operating with a mindset of extending flexibility and grace helps us connect to others and offers an internal positivity enhancement. A sense of belonging is a beautiful thing, so go for it! As you dabble forward and seek to make sense out of the happenings from your own life and times puzzle… Stand strong to end the first month of this new year well…ready to carry forward...and learn or attempt something new…You just may find refreshment on the way. Exercise your lifelong learning capabilities and find some sort of PUZZLE to engage in, perhaps a recipe to try or tweak and GO FOR IT! Join the conversation here by adding in on what YOUR most challenging life puzzle is…or share something you’ve tried to learn and part of the journey you traversed in doing so… Puzzling through life Causes joy and strife With focus resilience and grit Work your way out of the pit From a maze to an acrostic or a word search Some situations threaten to leave us in a lurch The power of a puzzle… Does it feel like a muzzle? Or will you work life’s puzzles and seek to solve Finding meaningful teachable moments to resolve… In some ways all lives are a puzzle to be seen and loudly heard Other days so much action takes place without a spoken word Whatever the season However you reason May your life puzzle come together in spite of the suspense Mindfully leading your heart and soul to help it make sense © 2024 Kathleen Bauer, Ed D Alongside her husband B For extended inspiration…check out these links! https://blog.tcea.org/five-crossword-puzzle-makers/?utm_source=TCEA+Emails&utm_campaign=6bf24803e6 RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f3a5bb651e-6bf24803e6 68333575&ct=t(RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN)&mc_cid=6bf24803e6&mc_eid=00c98f8b07 https://blog.tcea.org/happy-national-puzzle-day/

Recently…in the midst of navigating the regular chaos of life, seeking to process the international distress, and intentionally taking time for mindful conversations, I have been INSPIRED! Inspired by caring individuals who are questioning life as well. Motivated to find the good, because it is there. Refreshed to continue doing so many tasks I LOVE. Seeking to achieve balance. Why do we assume every piece of life has been easy? Quite frankly, it feels tangled! Not long ago, I was in the process of working with my hair, yes my hair. The set-up is amazing, including heavy duty durable outlets in a hidden cabinet and space for all of the necessary equipment to take care of my “aging” hair. This system works well, has for quite some time, keeps the bathroom tidy and is typically maneuverable. One specific day it became super complicated…oh no…all of those times I was hurrying, avoiding keeping things in order, came to haunt me with the TANGLING of much more than the 2 cords it had begun with. YIKES! I had a huge mess, was in a frantic hurry and just kept pulling and pulling and pulling. Disconnection happened. Finally, since I was unable to make use of any of the products or hair care pieces due to the invasion of the tangled mess; I stopped… Knelt down… Took a big breath… Decided to devote the necessary effort and time to regroup this area… Ahhhhhhhhh it all came back together, operating as it needed to be and soon there was no evidence of a tangle at all. In this moment I found myself, mind wondering and wishing situations in life could be ever so easy to untangle. And even more strongly, hoping I would recognize needs immediately and find a way to intentionally untangle every “ISSUE” with greater efficiency. Life does not always go as planned. Sadness looms, loved ones in my circle are fighting for their lives, light bulbs burn out, chaos prevails, calm seems to be only an unreachable dream, and happiness a mere wish. However, in the midst of all of this, let us aim to remember…Balance is key, questions are okay, and yes life is filled with an array of tangles. So…what are we to do now? I certainly don’t have exact answers…but maybe we can quest forward with renewed vigor to: Redefine balance as a goal & accept uneven terrain through the process. Perhaps find and opt for another lens to view through. Ponder living in a state of Being amidst all of the Doing. Consider whether lovingkindness is a filter for which you function. And…What about dedicating some time right now to untangling something and making TODAY your BEST DAY EVER?! Is this possible? What if we all prioritize maintaining the TANGLES by rebooting, refreshing, and reviving? And possibly attempt to approach these tasks and TANGLES as gifts to unwrap? Endeavoring to see all situations and individuals as filled with potential, and focusing on the good, the beauty, and the best, which is yet to come…WOW! Well…wouldn’t that be WONDERUL?! On the journey Life feels heavy Take the time to realize Good is there to recognize Inspiration is possible Motivation is do-able Working well through pain Feels as if there is no gain Refresh your systems to reboot & flow Embracing the next season might show The beautiful and best Even when put to test Comes through Surprising you Take a look and smile Be engaged for awhile Learning and leaning into the navigatable Living and loving through the inevitable Somehow some way Things will all be okay… Love and learn to gain and grow Others might be inspired to glow © 2024 Kathleen Bauer, Ed D Alongside her husband B

Petty Points

Ready or not here come the Holidays dashing on in…So we ask again…what is it for YOU? Fa La La La La…!? Or OH NO…here we go!

Grappling through emotions, chaos, perceptions, and expectations can be rough, tough, and tumble indeed! As we embark forward to covering this helpful, needful, but often skipped over, (or perhaps avoided), topic the goal is to do so with the timing of holidays upon us and rolling forward very quickly! So...our next set of sub-topics in the realm of cognitive distortions involves Emotional Reasoning, Fallacy of Fairness, ALWAYS Being Right, and Heaven’s Reward Fallacy.

As we continue our dive into the topic of cognitive distortions…we will do well to recall…they have an uncanny way of wreaking havoc into one’s mind, body, soul, and holiday season! So…let us “jump right in” as we look at the propensity of “Jumping to Conclusions” being loaded with ASSUMPTIONS. Assuming typically ignites us with thoughts and take aways of happenings and are “wrongly” assigned in our mind for ourself and others. We might do this by assuming those around us view situations and processes exactly as we do. This occurs in a variety of ways under the umbrella of cognitive distortions and can be a slippery emotional slope.