There are some people who see a need in the world, and can’t NOT do something about it – and in a BIG WAY!  Rachelle Zola is such a person. And while I have the utmost respect for Rachelle and the ways she has chosen to make a difference, I sometimes wonder where she gets this compulsion and courage to change the world that is well beyond what most of us would even consider, never mind do. Photo by Alejandra I first met Rachelle in Colorado in 2004 at a “Celebration of Life” for a … [Read more...]

Small towns can have a reputation for being cliquish or prejudiced, but it wasn’t my experience growing up.  Southbridge was a New England town of 18,000, predominantly French, with a good representation of Italians, Irish, Polish, and later, Spanish residents.  My French grandmother (Memere), who had been born the oldest of 21 children in Quebec, would later move with her husband to the U. S. There they would raise a family of six, including my mom, most of whom only spoke French … [Read more...]

According to Forrest Gump, “Life is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you’re gonna get.”   I never liked those boxes of assorted chocolates or being offered a choice of one when I didn’t know what was in it.  I will admit to being fussy, and especially not liking things with nuts in them.  So, I usually passed on the offer, unless I knew for sure. And although I wasn’t adventurous in eating . . . I did take a Ford Pinto (the one with the exploding gas … [Read more...]

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...]