Today I heard laughter – my own – and it was at myself. I was saying to my partner: “I don’t need to watch the news incessantly. All I need are the headlights.” We both laughed and it felt good. I’ve been making ‘funny mistakes’ lately . . . like trying to get onto a zoom baby shower party, only to learn that I had the date wrong . . . by 2 weeks! Or having my mat and blocks all set up for a zoom yoga class, waiting for the teacher to let me in . . . but I was too early – by 24 hours! How … [Read more...]

How many of us are feeling as though we are living inside a box, looking through our windows at the world out there–one that we can’t be a part of? For most of us nothing feels “normal” and it’s hard to find our place in this new, unchartered territory. Overwhelming statistics of disease and death can’t be ignored. Touch, that was once our way of showing affection, is not acceptable when we are “social distancing”. To wear a mask or not – why is that even a question? Change isn’t often … [Read more...]

We are experiencing dramatic changes - in our climate, our government, our health and financial systems - but the biggest shift may be happening within ourselves.Awareness doesn’t always come easily. Sometimes it takes a trip down the road of despair to discover who we are and what authentically defines us: What do we stand for? What gives hope, meaning and value to our lives? How are we contributing to the well-being of others? What kind of a future do we want to … [Read more...]

Selecting this question from my Just Ask 1 2 3 card deck as a writing prompt, it was easy to answer. My mom, Therese, was the fifth child in a strict, French catholic family of eight. Despite the poverty and the constant moving, nothing could dampen Therese’s love for her brother and sisters, her spunk, nor the joy that she had in taking care of other people’s children and the desire to have her own someday. I was lucky, many years later, to be the first of three. Therese was a dedicated mom … [Read more...]

How do you talk to yourself when you make a mistake or when you struggle to remember a name or a date? What do you tell yourself when you think that you’re “not good enough or smart enough” or when you say or do something “inappropriate”? Oftentimes, it’s our negative self-talk that is the loudest and yet we don’t even consider that it may be prejudiced, one-sided, or simply wrong. There was a time in my life when the “Voice in my Head” was quick to judge my thoughts or actions. And perhaps … [Read more...]

Quarantined in our homes, unable to gather in restaurants, coffee shops, social settings - places where we used to meet up with friends and family – we may be feeling a little isolated and disconnected. With restricted or no real face time, we might ask ourselves, “How can we stay connected while being physically apart? Who and what is most important in our lives? How are we experiencing this time of uncertainty?” Conversations and connections may be increasingly valued when they’re not as … [Read more...]

Life is made up of a series of moments. Oftentimes it’s the littlest things that mean the most. In a moment, we can tell someone “I love you”, smile at a stranger, give a friend a hug, say a prayer for someone in need, or let someone know: “I’m sorry”, “thank you”, or “I’m here for you.” This instant may be all that we have to bring joy to another person’s day, to post a message of kindness on FB, or call, email, or text “I miss you”, “You’re special”, or simply, “Thinking of you.” … [Read more...]

No matter how good we are or how much kindness and love we spread in the world. . . no matter how careful we are…things happen that can send a jolt to our sense of well-being and our physical and mental health. Part of living in and accepting these human bodies is knowing that there are times when we will be ill, our hearts will ache, and we will fall or have accidents that will cause us pain or discomfort or anxiety (and I am sure you can add a few more to this list). How can we fall into … [Read more...]

During this holiday season, what if instead of counting the presents under the tree and all of the cards, texts, tweets and twitters, we count the blessings in our lives – the friends and family, the freedoms, the joys, the opportunities for connecting on a deeper level, the good health of ourselves and loved ones, and the home that gives us shelter and solace. We spend so much time counting, gathering, worrying about, holding onto our “stuff” – carrying it from place to place, concerned … [Read more...]

The touch of the softest skin – my mom’s face, the touch of my dad’s fragile body as I try to help him up from a fall, the touch of my Aunt Jean’s manicured hands detached from the mind who doesn’t know who I am . . . Our hands dance lightly, feeling the love, the tenderness, the sensuality. It is a deeper awareness and connection than I had dared hope for. It is heartening in its own expression of loving – and I am grateful that I stayed when my mind said it didn’t matter to her. Who … [Read more...]