She sat across from me, her eyes tearing up. “I am at the end of an era. My youngest child just graduated from high school and my life will never be the same,” she said. This wasn’t an expression of…
Are You Selfish?
Recently I was at an exercise class (yes, it is a miracle that I’ve stuck with it for 6 months now!). A woman came running in at the last minute and said, “I just had my babysitter stay later so…
Thawing the Frozen Heart
After your heart is broken, what happens? The natural reaction is to shut down, contract, and protect the remaining shards. In fact, for many people, after experiencing the searing pain of loss, their hearts begin to freeze over. Eternal winter.…
How are You Taking Care of Yourself?
Recently, two people told me that they’re finally going to start taking care of themselves this year. They had let themselves get run down and run over after decades of thinking that self-care was selfish. I applauded their efforts to…
When it’s NOT the most wonderful time of the year: strategies for sanity
Look around you. Does everyone else seem joyful, festive, and full of holiday spirit? Everyone, it seems, but you. Perhaps someone important is missing from your life and you’re drowning in deep sorrow. Perhaps you’re absolutely miserable. The truth is…
Will Your Future Self Thank You?
A miracle has occurred in my life. After many years of eschewing rigorous exercise, I am now involved in a sport. I’m celebrating three months of regular participation in the high intensity, constantly varied, functional sport known as Crossfit. Believe…
What Door is Opening for You?
September is a mixed bag for me. On the one hand, it heralds the end of those especially sweet long summer days. The season’s playfulness starts to ebb away with the longer, cooler nights of September. On the other hand,…
When Life Dishes Out the Unexpected – and it Always Does
Once upon a time there was a land where the people expected to find love, prosperity, and happiness . . . always. They expected good luck and good fortune and were bitterly disappointed when the unexpected occurred. The problem was…
Are You A River or A Lake?
Life, like a river, can at times be rushing, wild, and swift. You can have days, years, even decades that resemble the high intensity energy of a river. Yet, life can also be like a lake — calm, spacious, and…
Life after Death
Saying goodbye last year to my sweet furry friend, Hickory, was heartbreaking. My constant companion of 15 years, he was with me as I raised and launched my children. He followed me as I lived with one husband and then…