We all know people whose identity is wrapped up in being the funny, smart or artistic one. And their sense of value is dependent on broadcasting that “thing.” Their comments regularly remind listeners of this “thing” they believe makes them lovable using shocking jokes, speaking above the mean, or belittling the artistry of others. Not […]
When a take over of new management happens, there are casualties. After 15-years of service, my mother’s aid was fired! Or was it actually silencing the voice of reason that could foresee oncoming problems. The senior residence, mom has called home for 8-years, occupies the old Ringling Brothers Circus base camp. You can easily imagine […]
Since my sister’s death I am often visited by her. Have you ever had a dead person visit you? It’s easy to explain it as wishful thinking. And, maybe it is? But the timing and unexpected nature of her visits lead me to think otherwise. It can feel like she’s hanging out in the corner […]
A foundation of trust is what we most crave as children. With an alcoholic father and narcissistic mother, that craving was never nourished and a foundation was never laid. I’m sure I’m not alone in this alternative foundation. The way this played out in my story is, uncertainty always plagued me in matters of love. […]
Most people believe that the mind body connection affects the quality of their life beyond basic survival. But they don’t necessarily understand how it works? In my experience, mind body awareness hasn’t always stopped the ill-affects that their misalignment causes. Life happens, pressures mount and boundaries are crossed. But mind body awareness does offer a […]
“As age creeps in we become more of who we’ve always been.” This was my father’s warning before his death. And, as my mother ages, it’s truth is undeniable. Mom’s need has no limits. Her self-care has never started; and, I suspect, her self-respect was lost a long time ago. Tough unconscious pride remains in […]
Like one of Santa’s elves, my typical Christmas is spent driving 100’s of miles in a rent-a-car sleigh filled with presents. Christmas carols are sung from NYC to the Catskill Mountains, then onward to NJ, where I’d land at my sister’s house for Christmas dinner. But when my sister died this year, so did my […]
First of all, good sense lives in your body. Your mind is the messenger. You know how it feels to be unhinged? Your body twitches; your mind haunts. Fear is your emotional guide. You “will” yourself to think positive. But, you “feel” possessed. And, you are. From the inside out, unresolved, misaligned, uncertainty breaks you, […]
Holiday festivities can lose their joyful charge as you lose family members. But when you expand your family’s traditions you can expand your family circle. And, you recharge that joyfulness beyond the limitations you’ve known. Arts & crafts united my family at the holidays. Crafting unique ornaments each year became a loving competition between my […]
There are times that we choose pain and times that pain chooses us. When we’re chosen, it’s easy to feel victimized, and we are. But to heal, I believe, one needs to find the gift within the pain. Being open to pain’s healing is like having a gift that keeps on giving. I was recently […]