Little Lila and some wild Yeses
One of my nieces has three beautiful children. Very early one morning, when the two oldest were 6 years old and 4 years old and the youngest was a newborn, my niece was woken up to the musical sounds of “Who Let the Dogs Out, Who? Who?” blaring from the downstairs family room. She went […]
The reframe your brain needs.
I have a step-daughter-in-law and a little sister who are both Registered Nurses, or RNs. One is in the first couple years of her career and one has been a nighttime newborn ICU nurse for almost 30 years. Imagine that! Almost 30 years of being a witness to some of the toughest and most tender […]
Baker’s Chocolate and my DNA.
One of my favorite things to do is bake recipes from Depression or War-era America. I know it sounds kind of strange, but I love the creativity of it. Bacon fat instead of butter in a sugar cookie? Ok! Vinegar instead of milk in a chocolate cake? Sure! Mayonnaise instead of eggs in brownies? Let’s […]
The Book of Revelation – and some Curry Soup.
My family growing up had a tradition on Christmas Eve of making my mom’s Curry Soup – which is really just a concoction of two specific canned soups juzzzzed up a bit with curry powder. I still incorporate the soup into my own Christmas Eve ritual. What makes the soup so magical is the […]
Tragedy or Inconvenience? Your answer matters.
I distinctly remember a day many years ago when, as I was turning my car into the parking lot of my apartment complex, I was hit by a16-year-old driver who was coming home from getting her driver’s license. My car was drivable but now in need of repair. The girl was visibly upset and ticketed […]
Fake Guilt and Misplaced Action.
Lately I’ve been paying attention to how many times clients say something about feeling guilty. “I feel guilty that I’m not doing more with my time….” “She makes me feel guilty when I don’t visit her…..” “I shouldn’t have to feel guilty when I go to the gym….” You get the idea. But is guilt […]
My Jack-o-Lantern and Your “thing.”
My sweet mom has an artist’s heart and one thing she loved to do in the mid 70s of my youth was paint ceramics. It was a thing back then to go to a ceramics store and get a piece of molded, but not yet fired and glazed, pottery. You would take the pottery home […]
Being (wisely) loyal to yourself.
I know this might come as a surprise (kidding!) but I’ve never been in a fist fight. I have come close though. I worked with some tough and powerful and big-hearted kids early in my career – and they’re still tough and powerful and big-hearted. One day about a year into my high school […]
A very specific letter – and listening to mall music.
In the 1980s my dad went through a period of several years where he would write (and by “write” I mean he would dictate to his secretary) a sort of ‘group letter’ weekly. He would send it by mail to any of his children and family living away from home. It would contain his busy […]
Diet Coke and emotional caffeine.
I love Diet Coke. There, I said it. I know it’s not a particularly healthy thing to ‘love’ in this “we-know-better-so-we-should-do-better” day and age. I get it. And, in my defense, I drink A LOT of water, as well. I promise. I know a lot of you can relate. Caffeine, in some form or another, […]
