Repost: The Real Secret to Being Happier and More Successful in the Workplace

In “What I’ve Learned about Life while Watching My Father Age,” a blog I wrote several weeks ago, I mentioned that I’d been reading On Death and Dying, a wonderfully insightful book written by Elisabeth Kϋbler-Ross.  Throughout that tome, the author argues that doctors need to take a more “human” approach while treating dying patients.  She also points out that the field of medicine stresses the … Continue reading Repost: The Real Secret to Being Happier and More Successful in the Workplace

Five Key Features of Complex PTSD

This post will list five key defining features of Complex PTSD, and point you toward the work of Pete Walker. This of course is not medical advice. Why This Topic? But first, why this topic? There are at least five reasons: First, I suspect a lot of people out there have Complex PTSD or something like it. Second, those who have Complex PTSD, and know … Continue reading Five Key Features of Complex PTSD

underwater photo of woman wearing green and black dress

The Beauty Of Life

Today, I surrender to the beauty of life   Everything feels so light I woke up with a peace of mind And see no need to run or hide Today I feel free from all the  ‘Should’ve’  Musts  Or dancing between the ‘could’ve and would’ve Today I am all in And there is nothing in between  I walk around,  firmly feeling the ground Uninhibited, no longer … Continue reading The Beauty Of Life

Question of the Day: How can gratitude sometimes go wrong?

Please don’t misunderstand. Gratitude, and the cultivation of gratitude, are wonderful. What I am asking is whether there are ways in which gratitude, or messaging about gratitude, or the cultivation of gratitude, can go wrong? How can gratitude go wrong? Have you ever experienced or seen this? (This image thanks to Pexels) Continue reading Question of the Day: How can gratitude sometimes go wrong?

Repost: Places that “Made” Me: Installment Three

My greatest regret during my Peace Corps experience is that I wasn’t into taking photos at that time.  I was into living life, though, as hard as it could be lived, tiptoeing right up to the line of being wildly self-destructive.  It’s just that I don’t have much of a photographic record of all that living beyond the boundaries.  I do have memories, tons of … Continue reading Repost: Places that “Made” Me: Installment Three

photo of woman reading book

Climbing to The Top of the Rankings

What happens when your husband dies in an avalanche and then you marry his best friend? It’s a fascinating question that artist and writer Jennifer Lowe-Anker set out to answer in her 2009 book Forget Me Not. The Backstory Jennifer Lowe-Anker was married to the famous climber, Alex Lowe, and they had three sons together. When Alex had another really early morning departure for a … Continue reading Climbing to The Top of the Rankings

heart shape on wall over vinyl disk

Where is home? They say home is where your heart belongs

Where is home? It is a question that has been growing within me more, the older I become. My life has been greatly affected by politics, moving, and family patterns. This has given me a broader insight regarding life, the world and humanity, than most people around me.  In this video, I am talking about where is home, my experience as a foreigner and uprooting … Continue reading Where is home? They say home is where your heart belongs

green leaves of a palm tree outside the window

Writing Windows and Mirrors

At a recent elementary school open house, my daughter’s third grade teacher said something profound. Well, she said a lot of wise things, because the knowledge of teachers is immense. But one particularly thing about writing and reading that caught my ear. Here it is – that she looks for books for these young readers to be either “windows” or “mirrors.” Windows are the books … Continue reading Writing Windows and Mirrors

Repost: Places that “Made” Me: Installment Two

If you read my first installment, you know that I was a Peace Corps Volunteer and was sent to PĨock, Poland, a beautiful and fascinating city located on the Vistula River, to complete my Pre-Service Training (PST), a demanding educational regime that was designed to see if I’d be up to the various challenges I’d certainly encounter once I was sent off to the town or city … Continue reading Repost: Places that “Made” Me: Installment Two

brown wooden gavel on brown wooden table

Judge Me, Judge Me Not

When I was 17 years old, I worked in a grocery store. One day a co-worker and I were pushing a giant skid full of milk cartons through the store. The skid was piled high with milk crates and was much taller than we were.  We were using a skid mover, which was being steered by yet another coworker; driver in the front, two “engines“ in the back.  Continue reading Judge Me, Judge Me Not

A life of great variety

This is an interview with Hanne Kristin Rohde, the former police chief of Oslo. She worked in the police for 25 years, the first 5 years as a police prosecutor, and the last 20 years as a manager. In 11 of these years at the senior management level; from 2008-2014 as police inspector and head of the Section for violent and sexual crimes in Oslo Police District. Continue reading A life of great variety

unrecognizable person showing glowing sparkler against night sky

Do You Believe In Magic? Do You Write About It?

I had to have the conversation with my eight-year-old daughter the other day. You know the one I mean? About Santa? We were driving in the car and I broached the subject as “Do you want to talk about what your friend said the other day about Santa?” Two days before I’d overheard her friend tell her that Santa wasn’t real. Then the friend took … Continue reading Do You Believe In Magic? Do You Write About It?

Repost: Places that “Made” Me: Installment One

My mind works in mysterious ways.  For example, three or four days ago, for no particular reason, the following question popped into my head:  I wonder who said, “Clothes make the man”?  I then almost immediately forgot that I’d asked this question—my brain having its own unique way of functioning—and went about my daily business. This morning I got online and found out that Mark … Continue reading Repost: Places that “Made” Me: Installment One