Duality: Holding Opposite Emotions Within You October 9, 2013 • 0 Comments “If we never experience the chill of a dark winter, it is very unlikely that we will ever cherish the warmth of a bright summer’s day. Nothing stimulates our appetite for the simple joys of life more than the starvation caused by sadness or desperation. In order to complete our amazing life journey successfully, it is vital that we turn…
Healing Resources: Sit. Stay. Heal. September 20, 2013 • 0 Comments I am a big fan of Pema Chödrön and I adore her book The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times. I opened the pages many times during the last three years and found myself guided and comforted by the simple, yet profound wisdom on the pages. One of my favorite passages: “How are we going…
Unearthing Hidden Trauma and Beginning to Heal September 18, 2013 • 3 Comments Life exposes both her beauty and her cruel underbelly to us at the moment of birth, as we take our first breath in and the umbilical cord is severed. As we exchange the life giving connection to our mother for the life force of oxygen, the universe whispers to us that this is an invitation to embark on a journey,…
Healing Trauma: Vulnerability Is the New Black September 16, 2013 • 0 Comments I had a conversation with a woman I adore the other day about healing and spirituality, two of my favorite subjects. This woman is all heart, having been on her own painful journey, so we don’t have to pretend or mince words. These are my favorite kind of folks: the ones who don’t flinch when facing taboo or uncomfortable subjects.…
The Fifty Shades of Personal Integrity August 28, 2013 • 7 Comments Is your integrity a moving target? I’m just wondering because I am just starting to notice some blurry edges around mine. My friend Suzani and I were talking about integrity after a rather emotional Toastmasters meeting last week. The theme was “The Love of Money,” and for some reason it evoked a portal of vulnerability and lots of tears. Everyone,…
Healing & Self Care Resources: What’s Helped You? July 31, 2013 • 0 Comments I enjoy writing and sharing my story here and it is difficult to describe the feeling when someone writes to me expressing gratitude that I have helped them in some small way. I am becoming more and more of a believer in storytelling as a powerful pathway to healing. In that vein, I would love to put it out to…
Bouncing Back: Resilience and Healing July 19, 2013 • 0 Comments “Our conditioning — the wiring of our neural circuitry as we learn from experience — sometimes goes awry. When this happens, we can find ourselves stuck in negative, dysfunctional response patterns that leave us feeling ineffective and miserable and more vulnerable to stressors or trauma.” —Linda Graham, Bouncing Back I found this very cool book, Bouncing Back, by Linda Graham.…
Facing Your Fears: On Courageous Introspection & Monster Hunting July 3, 2013 • 2 Comments I went on a monster hunt with the most adorable 4-year-old boy the other day. Apparently, my backyard is infested with them, so, armed with a sword and measuring cups + spoons (not sure why, but they were essential), we set out to remedy the problem. I never actually saw one of these scary creatures, but they were plainly visible…
The Benefits of Juicing and the Economics of Health May 24, 2013 • 2 Comments It is difficult to argue with the benefits of juicing, although I have read articles that suggest it is wiser to put everything into a Vita-Mix and get the fiber as well. I’m not sure that’s a truly practical solution. Plus, I am pretty sure I can feel all the juicer-oxygenated nutrients entering my bloodstream when I drink a glass…
Eating Well: The Connection Between Diet and Anxiety March 8, 2013 • 2 Comments I am discovering that what I eat, or don’t eat, plays a large part in how much anxiety I suffer on a daily basis. It is a chicken and egg scenario: does this paralyzing anxiousness come about on its own or is it fueled by the biochemical environment I create within my body? Although adjusting to widowhood and single parenting…