I’ve decided to start this year, not writing a list of resolutions, but thinking of the one word that would guide me in how I want to live and experience this new year.  HOPE! Whether in casual encounters or gatherings of family and friends, I know that I feel most hopeful when I can connect on a kinder, more loving, and personal level.    We can all remember a time when it was difficult to engage in person.  In its earlier appearance, Covid made us feel more … [Read more...]

We get reminders daily that life is fragile and limited. There are usually no warnings that tomorrow may be our last.  Would you act differently if you knew?  And if so, how would you spend your last day and moments? If I had one more tomorrow, I would get out from behind my desk and take myself for a walk to the nearest big tree, wrap my arms around it so that my heart could feel its heart beat and let the flow of love circulate through my core. Then I would sit underneath … [Read more...]

“Glimmers”, a term coined by Deb Dana, LCSW in her work on the Polyvagal Theory, are “micro moments of joy that make us feel happy, hopeful and safe”.  We are well aware of our “triggers” that can cause anxiety, but identifying glimmers can actually help us to recover from our daily stresses to be in a more peaceful, “parasympathetic state”.   How can we shift our focus and look for ways to bring more happiness, comfort and connection to our everyday lives and to those around … [Read more...]

My goal in life is to be as good a person as my dog already thinks I am - Anonymous Have you noticed that dogs have been filling a void in our lives - and in our hearts?  At a time when loneliness has become an epidemic in the U.S, affecting our health and well-being, it is more important than ever to form close connections. Perhaps that is why there has been an increase in dog adoptions. Where can we find that loving commitment and consistency in our lives, perhaps once filled by … [Read more...]

I’ve never been accused of being an ‘athlete’! It wasn’t until my late 20’s that I ran my first race in Boulder, Colorado at 5318 miles above sea level.  I had just moved there from the east coast and signed up for an exercise class.  I hated the running portion of the class, but after several weeks and the purchase of my first pair of running shoes, I actually had some fleeting moments of pleasure – the so-called “runner’s high”.  I decided to enter a 10k race, the “Bolder … [Read more...]

“The greatest threat to our planet is believing that someone else will save it.” -Robert Swan One of my earliest childhood memories was standing at the window of our 3rd floor New England apartment with my parents, brother and cousins, watching people being lowered by ropes from the apartment building behind us. A dam had broken and we were living in the “Flats”, the lowest area of our town. It had been raining incessantly, as cars, and even a house, were … [Read more...]

“We don’t laugh because we’re happy - we’re happy because we laugh”. -Dr. Madan Kataria Who doesn’t need a good laugh these days? It seems like such a rarity for many of us, especially with this global challenge, but not for Hannah Bellaff, who created FB/laughteradaykeepsthedoctoraway. She believes what new research indicates: “laughing with friends releases feel good brain chemicals, which also relieves pain.” Within a week of creating her FB page, it had a life of its own, and now has … [Read more...]

Have you ever gotten a message, heard a voice in your head, had a dream, felt something in your gut...that prompted you to do or say something that you wouldn’t normally consider...but that you simply couldn’t ignore? Some people believe that angels sometimes express themselves through dreams or “whisperings”. I can attest to these messages, including the voice that told me to slow down and move into the next lane just as my tire blew, saving me from a major … [Read more...]