Safe, Not Stuck: Embracing Lack of Change
As I ponder the start to the new year, at first, I feel sorry for myself. I make the foolish, painful mistake of comparing myself to others and focusing on what’s missing in my life instead of all the good things I have. It can be all too easy to go down this path. […]
Being Happy with What Is
Recently, a friend gave me a book whose core message was to appreciate what we have, instead of always focusing on having more and being more. My first reaction: Pissed. The author is wealthy. Easy to be happy with what you have when you’re sitting on piles of dough. The writer goes on to say […]
Let Your Life Speak
I jogged to my local bookstore, toting a baked treat for the owner. At the door, I burst into tears. A small note by the “Closed” sign said she had just passed away. Yvonne was quirky, and brusque, and it smelled funny in there. But I loved that old woman. When I first hung out […]
Selling Your Old Self
It all started with the bike rack. Now that I had a new car, I could no longer use my Yakima rack, which wasn’t compatible with my new hatch. As I dug it out of the back of my closet, I noticed all sorts of other outdoor gear I never […]
Speak Up or Shut Up?
Have you ever understood a loved one’s situation more clearly than he or she does, but weren’t sure whether to say something or to bite your tongue? The other day, my friend was talking on and on in an angry, confused haze about her unfaithful boyfriend, and I just wanted to blurt out, “Dump […]
The Spirits of the Second Stall
It was my second day in New York City, and I was immersed in a crowd of nervous hopefuls. 100 authors and experts, all eager to get publicity, were jammed into a large hotel ballroom, lining up to meet the nation’s top TV producers, radio hosts, and print media editors. When our number was called, […]
