Vacation planning can be a trip, pun intended. While planning my most recent vacation, we went back and forth on making multiple decisions. This included details like watching countries on the high alert list, researching the right time of year weather-wise, and even our desire to find a flight without layovers. Some decisions we made were small, but some were…
Spring is a beautiful time of year. The weather gets warmer, plants go from barren to bloom, animals return from hibernation, and summer is right around the corner. It's a time full of rebirth and refreshment. Yet, while spring can be gorgeous, the changes that come with it are often very isolating. For many, spring is when kids are about…
Earlier this year, during a chilly wolf moon night hike in our local woods, the only light our group used was the moon to guide us to our destination. Surprisingly, our eyes adjusted to the moon-lit walk pretty quickly, but why did it feel like an eternity to get to our end point, while the return trip to the warm…
photo by David Singer There's no way I can change careers or get that certification, I'm too busy taking care of my parents. There's no way I can convert my passion of baking into a business, I'm not a business person and it will be impossible to learn the start-up process. There's no way I can run that race…
Just Definition 1: By a very small margin : Barely Definition 2: Only, simply -Merriam-Webster Dictionary ____ Recently, during a conversation with friends, I noticed how often I use the word “just.” That got me thinking about the power of words. “It’s just a blog.” “It’s just an old dress I had.” “It’s just my small business.” Using “just” keeps…
The future is inevitable. We all have heard this phrase, or something similar, at one point or another. While the future is impossible to avoid, the unknown aspect of it can cause many people to be fearful. It’s up to us to decide how to approach the future. I suggest we use the future as a chance to embrace–and trust–the…
After a recent 6-session, weekly, on-line improv class to add some variety into my schedule, to challenge myself, and mostly to simply laugh, here are some life lessons I learned: ✨ Improv helps you stay, and enjoy being in the moment, as well as to become a better listener. ✨ Improv helps you think on your feet allowing…
Punctuation is part of the personality of writing, and that same idea overlaps into our identity. When you think about the punctuation mark you most embody, what comes to mind? For me, I connect with a question mark. I’m a natural learner with a curious mind. I find it exciting to unravel new realities about myself and the…
I’m sure you have found yourself at a four-way stop before. You’re cruising down the road completely in control until you slowly wind down to that sudden… stop. What happens next? The rules of the four-way stop often seem to fly out the window, especially when you’re faced with three other drivers all wondering the same thing. Did I get…
New year. New beginnings. New changes. Soon we will turn the page on another year, and it's no surprise we all think of the new year as a chance for a clean slate. But what is a new beginning? Each of us sees the world through our own filters and lenses, and therefore a new beginning means something different…
“Treat yourself as you would a good friend.” Look up the definition of self-care, and you will find this quote. If your friend was struggling, you would be kind, understanding, and compassionate. Don’t treat yourself any differently. While studies show that people fear if they are too soft on themselves they will become self-indulgent, the opposite is actually true.…
Reprinted from CrunchyTales.com, #mymidlife I remember when my first child left for college. A few days later, I was unloading the dishwasher and suddenly this whoosh of emptiness came upon me. For years his life meshed with mine and then, suddenly, that whole chapter closed. He had been a huge part of my daily routine for so long: and as a minivan…
What hat are you wearing right now? When our kids were little, sometimes it felt like we wore the hats of the short-order cook, the chauffeur, and the nurse. As they grew, some of us put on our coach’s hat, later our college-application-essay editor’s hat, and later still, our resume editor's hat and wardrobe consultant's hat. During a…
Did you hear the story last year about the monolith that appeared and disappeared in the Utah desert? While at first many believed it to be aliens, the logical answer was that it was an artistic installation. We may chalk it up to another wacky incident during a unique year, but if we dig a little deeper we can…
This is a story of a rocky road, a journey, and new beginnings. You can’t tell by looking at this photograph of me, but this was not the idyllic, scenic journey it appears to be. I was actually caught between a literal rock and a hard place. The day started out reasonably. Nice, even. I was hiking on the…
You’ve heard of the terms “cold shower,” “bridal shower,” and “sun shower,” but have you ever heard of “shower thoughts?" Shower thoughts are the thoughts that pop into your mind while doing something mundane, like, well, taking a shower, planting a flower pot, or driving. They're the little “aha” moments that occur when you are occupied doing one thing, and…
What happens when we are too quick to pass judgment on others? When we judge, we create a story around an event, situation, person or experience we believe to be true. Often, we see what we expect to see, and sometimes, what we think we see is not the truth at all. This sage advice reminds me of a story…
Photo Credit: Laurey W. Glenn My front door is closed right now, but I’m ready for what comes next. With the new season–the crisp leaves, the fresh notebooks–comes a sense of excitement and expectancy. Something new. We are ready for the change of season, and whatever it may bring. Flower pots replanted. Mums. Gourds. Muted seasonal colors. It’s a…
A rerun of Grey’s Anatomy got me thinking. It was a scene with Dr. Bailey furiously scrubbing a microwave oven while telling Chief Webber that dropping her son off at the first day of kindergarten left her feeling inadequate and empty. “He let go of my hand,” she said. She felt like she wasn’t needed anymore. Bailey feels like everyone…
AHA! “I get it!” “I know what I have to do next.” There is nothing better than witnessing my client reach that clarity at the end of a session. That "AHA" moment. Find YOUR clarity. Get unstuck. Break through. Release your tension. Unshrug your shoulders and relax. You are now on your way to realizing your goals; to release that…
Fear, if you allow it, can paralyze you. In my case, it had to do with fear of not knowing what to write. You see, I launched this new space. My blog. And I was so proud of it. I wrote my first post, and shared about its creation on social media. I smiled as the well wishers sent good…
Did you post a black box on your social media on Tuesday? I didn’t, but it was not an easy decision. I had planned to launch my new blog that same day, but that didn’t feel right. My gut said not to post anything and I followed my gut, but I wasn’t sure why. I knew that I wanted to be…
