First, foremost and most badly I’ll miss practicing yoga at North Main Yoga, and specifically, my teacher, Liz. I am hopelessly addicted to her teaching style, kind energy, and the complete bliss I experience after practicing under her guidance.

Second, I’ll miss working with Clemson students. They’re bright, honest, nice people; excellent writers; and once you figure them out, it’s SO easy to help them succeed. I’ve never worked with students who have made me so proud in such a short time!

The Village Baker, Pendleton S.C.

Then, there’s eating. The Village Baker in Pendleton is a little European piece of heaven: pastries, cookies, sandwiches, more pastries. I’ll miss our late Saturday lunches there, and in Greenville: the pecan pie at High Cotton, the chef’s creativity at Lazy Goat, the Thai food at Sweet Basil on Pelham, and of course, the gelato at Luna Rosa.

I’ll miss my hair stylist, kind and attentive Maggy – now at Tangles in Clemson.

I’ll miss the colorful flowers, and the scent of gardenias on warm summer nights.

To all the things and people I won’t miss (y’all know who you are): I wish you’ll find confidence and peace, so you can open your minds and hearts, and maybe experience kindness now and again. Namaste!

Those who follow me on twitter know that I traveled to Romania over Spring break to visit my grandmother, who’s going through a very slow and painful recovery after hip replacement surgery.

Fortunately, this is the first time in my life so far that I’ve had to deal with a loved one’s suffering. I’m not dealing with it very well. It’s consuming my peace of mind, affecting my clarity of thought, and pretty much pushing me towards depression. I’m not proud of not being mentally strong enough to deal with this better… and thus, more guilt and more distress.

So, yes, her ups and downs have been affecting my life & my work. When she has a good day, I’m full of energy and ready to take on the world. Then she has a relapse (like today, when she did not get out of bed even once because of debilitating back pain) and my mind becomes a messy foggy worried knot.

I’m trying to learn about equanimity and offering compassion without letting my mind be deeply troubled – a Buddhist concept that takes years of practice to achieve.

Until I work through these things and figure out a way to bring my mind back to work, and social media, and things that all of a sudden seem dangerously unimportant, I am retreating into silence.

If I have something good to offer you, I will. Like this: PR Open Mic, a shiny brand new and very promising social network for PR people (students, faculty, and practitioners). I hope you join.

If you have any advice for me, any tips & tricks for dealing with this situation compassionately but with only a healthy amount of empathy, please let me know.