March 2024
A note from Chelsea Bourn, Brian Dagle Foundation Program Coordinator:
It’s been such a pleasure getting to know the Brian Dagle Foundation community since I started as Program Coordinator at the beginning of December.
From my first week at the Jingle Bell 5k, it was evident how compassionate and welcoming everyone is and how impactful and important the services here are to the shoreline community and beyond.
Though grief and loss are a new scope of practice for me professionally, I am finding many parallels with my background in mental health and trauma-focused work’ which; I am looking forward to applying and exploring with a new lens at Brians Healing Hearts. As I have navigated my own healing journey the last several years, I have been repeatedly reminded of the importance of supportive community, remaining present, and finding joy in small moments.
Perhaps some can relate: I tend to fill my time with tasks to avoid feeling my feelings which is productive but not incredibly healthy. When I wasn’t quite as far along in my journey, I used to giggle at the suggestion of mindfulness, thinking only of a monk in a garden sitting still for hours on end unbothered by flies landing on the top of their nose. I thought “that’s not for me” until I was challenged by my therapist to be mindful in everyday tasks, one little moment at a time. I started with simple awareness of the weight of my seat bones while I was driving past a certain spot…that’s not so hard! I noticed how I tended to put more weight in my right seat bone, how my thigh turned slightly to the right with the outstretch of my foot, and how my pinky toe felt inside my boot. For a brief moment, instead of mentally spiraling about how I could’ve said or done something differently, I simply noticed how it felt to be inside my car, sitting in the drivers seat, holding the steering wheel.
My humble mindfulness beginnings have changed and expanded little by little and, while I’m not going to be sitting in a garden for hours any time soon, it’s been (dare I say it) fun to find ways to incorporate mindfulness into everyday tasks. In my role here at the Dagle Foundation, I hope to be part of your healing journey as many others have been part of mine. Whether it involves commiserating over previous attempts at mindfulness, direct companioning, developing therapeutic curricula, or coordinating special events, I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the important work that goes on here.