Cleaning Your Soul

October 1st, 2013
Posted By:

I know this is going to sound very old school but I’m going to come out with it anyway: sometimes if I want to feel better, I pull out the cleaning supplies and take a room apart.

I fill a pan with hot soapy water, gather some rags and a few spray cleaners and I then I go for it!

Over the weekend, I did this to my kitchen because something about the change in seasons was in the air and I looked around and thought I would feel better if I could clean away some of the dirt and … Read More

It’s All About Our Stuff

September 5th, 2013
Posted By:

Earlier this week I wrote about finding my deceased husband’s tweed jacket in the back of a guest room closet and what it felt like to discover it. Now, unfortunately, it’s time to say good-bye to his Irish wool jacket.  It doesn’t fit my son and the jacket doesn’t really hold any special meaning for him.  Even though it once belonged to my husband, I have arrived at that point in my life where I know I can’t save everything that holds meaning for me.  Some things you just have to set free into the universe. In my head, I … Read More

Exiting The Control Lane

July 26th, 2013
Posted By:

It is Friday and I am one big burnt piece of toast! It has been a week of going to the hospital (hopefully my Dad will be discharged today), car maintenance (way too expensive) and early starts at work (hate the alarm).  But I am truly looking forward to the end of today because that is when my well-deserved vacation begins!!!!!! As hard as I try to maneuver around the built-in stress of the above situations, I am just a human being like anyone else and I do get sucked into worrying about all of these things instead of having… Read More

Monkey Bars

July 2nd, 2013
Posted By:

Yesterday I wrote about one small aspect of holding on to a deceased loved one’s material things for a long time.  It’s a rather large emotional minefield of an issue but if you ride along with me for a bit more today maybe we can make some progress together and get on with it. Let’s be real:  nobody wants to hurt and nobody wants to feel pain.  It’s in our DNA to try and protect ourselves and so we naturally want to run away from pain and suffering; even sometimes to deny its existence.  I think this is one of… Read More

Tossing Emotional Baggage

July 1st, 2013
Posted By:

A spilled box of cereal this weekend took me through an unexpected, yet healthy exercise. While trying to do too many things at the same time in the kitchen, I spilled a box of cereal inside one of my kitchen cabinets.  Don’t you hate it when that happens? It was such a klutzy move and right away I was annoyed with myself.  I looked at the shelf with the cereal spilled everywhere inside the cabinet and knew I was going to have to take everything out and vacuum the shelf.  Damn! What a pain! I knew the sooner I started… Read More

The Night of The Cicada

August 25th, 2012
Posted By:

I am happy for the arrival of today, for yesterday was a day when I was trying to follow my own advice about staying positive, breaking down a problem and letting it go when you can’t do anything more. For me, I get stressed when I am thrown into a situation at work and expected to solve it quickly.  I can work under pressure but I don’t really like it.  I prefer to see the problem ahead of time and work on it in increments. But that isn’t what life is always about.  Untangling the problem takes time and sometimes… Read More

Emotional Spring Cleaning

March 9th, 2012
Posted By:

I’m so happy that Spring is almost here!  I’ve already seen some cherry blossom buds tenderly opening and bursts of happy yellow and white daffodils in bloom around my neighborhood.  What a welcome sign that winter is finally coming to an end!  Part of my routine to get ready for this new and warmer season is cleaning the house and getting rid of items I no longer use or want. I take it as a healthy sign that every year as I open the windows, clean and change the house for warmer weather, I’m able to part with more things… Read More

To Party Or Not

April 10th, 2011
Posted By:

This year I have had two large parties at my house…and to my surprise, I have enjoyed myself.  One was for a family member who was celebrating a BIG birthday and the other was on New Year’s Day for my son and my best friends.  This may not sound like a big deal — but it is. With the exception of family events that happened after my husband’s death, I haven’t been ready to celebrate anything or plan for a party that would take place just to have fun.  In order to give a party, you have to be ready… Read More