Category: Becoming Janine
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Speaking of Dragonflies
(reposted from July 2020 with an updated comprehensive guide to dragonflies from https://happydiyhome.com/) In my experience, dragonflies have never posed a physical threat. I teased David once that he must have some Disney princess in him when a persistent dragonfly kept landing on his face and t-shirt while we walked in the woods one day.…
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The Dynamics of Shame
This is the story of a schoolyard bully, a conspiracy led by mom, and the dynamics of shame that can get stuck in the body. Growing up in the 60s, we had a neighbour who lived across the street. He was a year younger than me, in my brother’s class at school. And he was…
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The Scent of Lilacs
The scent of lilacs sparks musings on ancestral memory and healing. What experiences imprinted the scent in my family’s collective memory?
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Ancestral Lullaby
Lately, I have felt the deep pull to connect with my lineage, to learn more about ancestral healing of intergenerational trauma. There is evidence that memories and experiences are passed on through generations in our DNA. The study referenced here speaks to it. I feel grief and deep regret at not having asked for more…
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House Hunting with the Ancestors
We’d been talking about it for a while when we saw a house for sale that caught our imagination. We called our agent to see about the possibilities. The market was hot he told us. Houses were selling in our neighbourhood quickly and over asking. There was no possibility of even looking for a new…
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Martyrdom, Comfort, and Old Dogs
Pain is a side-effect, not the goal, and it is most certainly not a reward. I’m writing a new song. I’m unlearning self-combat and replacing it with self-compassion.
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Mom and Me (and a bowl of cereal)
I am resourcing the incredible strength of character and unconditional love I’ve inherited from my mom. And I am grateful.
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New Year, New Thing
Like many of us, I’ve internalized arbitrary standards of health and beauty imposed by systems and those dominant cultures that have nothing whatsoever to do with health, inclusion and love and everything to do with control, and exploitation.
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A Christmas Wish
In this very strangest of years, Christmas time has come feeling – well, feeling more Christmassy – than any other has felt for me in a very long time. No decorations, no parties, no fancy dress (and let’s face it, maybe not even a shower). No mad dash shopping, no lights, no tree. I don’t…
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Feel Free to Touch
We signed in at the first stop along the tour, providing our contact information for tracing purposes, and sanitized our hands. The woman who greeted us inside said “Feel free to touch anything that catches your eye. Texture is a big part of my work.” She explained her process of using tubes of liquid clay…