Posts in DESIRE. CONNECT. THRIVE.

Dinner Parties & The Hospitality of Emotion

Hospitality means primarily the creation of free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place.

-Henri Nouwen

I love food: the planning, shopping, prepping, pairing, cooking, eating, hell, I don’t even mind the cleaning up so much. My most domestic moments happen in the kitchen. Laundry? Not my gig, much to my husband’s chagrin. Cooking has always been a creative outlet as well as a therapeutic one for me. For a hot minute in my mid-twenties I toyed with the idea of culinary school yet found in my short-lived career as a sous chef at a local wine bar/cafe that cooking on someone else’s watch for people I couldn’t actually connect with was a deal breaker; it hijacked the joy of it.

ACHIEVING SUCCESS, CREATIVE LIFE, DESIRE. CONNECT. THRIVE., PERSPECTIVESKatie GustafsonOctober 13, 2016dinner party, emotions, friendship, Henri Nouwen, hospitality, the yellow tableComment

Finding Family: The Broken Road Home

You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you.

-Frederick Buechner

I’m not sure if it’s the fall weather encroaching or the fact that I’m becoming more nostalgic with age, but something has been at the forefront of my heart and mind as of late and I can’t seem to shake it. I don’t want to shake it. It’s beautiful, complex, frustrating, exhilarating, heartbreaking, fun, weird, grounding, dangerous, and safe all at once.

LIFE PATTERNS, PERSPECTIVES, DESIRE. CONNECT. THRIVE., SPIRITUALITY, RELATIONSHIP INSPIRATIONKatie GustafsonOctober 7, 2016bloodliness, elizabeth gilber, family, home, longing, richard rohr, spiritual directionComment

Strong Series Part III: The Persecutor Plummet

That old saying, how you always hurt the one you love, well it works both ways.

-The Narrator ‘Fight Club’

Here we are, back with our third and final role this week: the persecutor. Quickly, I want to recap our entire journey through the Victim Triangle with a little visualization exercise. It’s easy and will put some skin around this big dysfunctional yet powerful dynamic we have examined for the past three weeks. Driving not recommended while doing this exercise.

LIFE PATTERNS, RELATIONSHIP INSPIRATION, RESOURCES, STRONG STORIES, DESIRE. CONNECT. THRIVE.Katie GustafsonSeptember 22, 2016Adulting, brangelina, fight club, gone with the wind, persecutor role, victim triangleComment

Strong Series Part II: The Righteous Rescuer

I, I will be king
And you, you will be queen
Though nothing will drive them away
We can be heroes, just for one day

-“Heroes” by David Bowie

Just as victim hurts so good like three too many helpings of apple a la mode, rescuer soars on wings of eagles complete with the cape and mask of a superhero. Ahh, the Righteous Rescuer, a role I have often worn proudly, like a pair of killer Louboutins or something. This role is a double threat in that it temporarily feels loving on both sides of the table; from where the rescued sits as well as the rescuer. However, Strong Series part II zeros in on the rest of the story: how this role temporarily flies high, yet falls short…really fast.

DESIRE. CONNECT. THRIVE., HEALTH AND WELLNESS, LIFE PATTERNS, RELATIONSHIP INSPIRATION, STRONG STORIESKatie GustafsonSeptember 15, 2016boundaries, Christian Louboutin, Rescuer, enneagram, victim triangleComment

Triumph Over Misery: The Beautiful Story of Ruthie Lindsey

Author Jamais Cascio once said, “Resilience is all about being able to overcome the unexpected. Sustainability is about survival. The goal of resilience is to thrive. I never thought I would need to know this lesson until my life was turned upside down.

-Ruthie Lindsey

Meet Ruthie Lindsey

Today’s post is very near and dear to my heart for several reasons. Our guest blogger is Ruthie Lindsey (visit her website), a designer, speaker, stylist, and overall inspirer. She travels all over sharing her incredible story that invites us to a high and spacious place of living beautifully in the midst of painful realities.

CREATIVE LIFE, HOLISTIC HEALTH, DESIRE. CONNECT. THRIVE., NARRATIVE THERAPY, SPIRITUALITYKatie GustafsonSeptember 9, 2016chronic pain, depression, grief, pain management, ruthie lindsey, vulnerabilityComment