The other day, I had a first hand experience of how self-blame is a choice we can live without. I'm pretty sure that, the "multi-taskers" among you, will understand what I mean. Here it goes. The Middle School spring concert day was upon us and the girls were going to perform for last time as middle schoolers. Having been there before, I anticipated a certain level of stress for that afternoon. Regardless, I allowed myself to get distracted throughout the ...

Here we are . . . well into April. For those of us in the North East, the cold still lingers but the daffodils are blooming and the days are getting longer.  The skies are blue and sunny, more often than not. It's taking me longer to get going this year. My motivation feels sluggish . . . it's been a dark, cold winter. My attention has been pulled in a myriad of directions and I can't say I enjoyed them ...

Let's face it! We're all busy! Even when we get the chance of down time, we look around for things to do and fill the gap. We don't have to look hard. There's always something to do and so the story goes. Doing is what we live by. "Busyness" is what defines us. There will be time, in the distant future, to do the "soft stuff" or . . .  so we tell ourselves. There will be time to take care ...

Earlier this morning, I was on my way to meditation. There was traffic but nothing crazy. Suddenly, a recycling truck cut in front of me. I stepped on the break and thought "Oh, dear!" Everything slowed down. I kept hoping he would turn somewhere but no, he stayed, right there, in front of me. As I was forced to slow down, I became aware of all the thoughts and emotions that this simple act had triggered. Here I am, going to ...

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with two entrepreneurs. They've both been dealing with major career and life transition for some time now. One was let go due to downsizing, about a year ago. The other chose to leave the organization he worked for, after many years of service. They are both highly skillful, experienced and knowledgeable. Along the way, they both decided to go to business for themselves. They chose to start businessses right along the lines of what ...

On Tuesday evening, I sat to meditate, in honor of the winter solstice. It was my intention to sit still, breathe and be present in that very moment. I prayed for inspiration and guidance for this coming year. What I received was a deep sense of peace and acceptance. I'll be holding on to this experience and here's why. I usually drive myself crazy, trying to do it all well and produce the results I think I ...

"Change is as inevitable as rain in the spring. Some of us just put on our raincoats and splash forward." ~ Amy Bloom Being willing to go with change, as it happens, is not always easy but it’s fundamental to our growth. Change gives us the opportunity to evaluate our ways, make adjustments, and discover new possibilities. Whether change happened by choice or not, whether we view it as positive or negative, there is a rhythm to it. It's a process. Going through ...

My mother loved to dance. She taught me how to listen and feel the rhythm of the music. "You can't dance if you don't have rhythm," she used to say. Later on, my daughters proved to me that there is contentment in personal rhythm. They were two of the happiest babies and children I have ever seen. My husband and I often attribute this to the rhythm we have always had as a family. Not that ...

Abigail Thomas is one of my favorite authors. I read "The Three Dog Life" sometime ago, liked her style and what she had to say so much, that I decided to read all her books. "Thinking About Memoir" is another one of hers and as I was reading through it the other day, I couldn't help but think of how our personal stories evolve. We go on living our lives, going through the motions, dealing with unexpected events, checking off our to-do ...

Making the choices that serve our life's priorities, goals, and values is not always easy or straightforward. We are constantly influenced by our peers, the conflicting messages in our heads, other people's expectations, the media, you name it. Caught as we are in the hamster wheel of everyday life, we keep going without taking the time to reevaluate our direction. We live in a society that's obsessed with the "personality" paradigm. There is a prevailing attitude of endless competition. People's sense ...