New Year Resilient You

December 31st, 2018
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beach candle

If it is dark outside when I wake up, I will light a candle, close my eyes and slowly gather my thoughts before the day gets away from me.

There is something about the quiet of the morning that I cherish.  The day is still fresh and lighting a candle in the dark fills me with hope.

It fills me with the notion that today is full of possibilities and I can feel whole and valued.

It reinforces the idea that yesterday is past and today is a fresh start.

It is uplifting to feel the warmth and light from … Read More

Music Monday — John Legend

August 27th, 2018
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Since it’s Monday and that fact on it’s own may make it difficult to get going, I thought I would share a song that always make me feel upbeat. Listening to John Legend’s smooth velvety voice in this song, “A Good Night,” is a definite stress buster but I think there’s something extra reassuring when I hear him sing the words — as though he is telling me personally — “Everything’s gonna be all right.” In the song, Legend sings that he thinks everything’s gonna be all right because he thinks he just met his wife.  But for our purposes,… Read More

Reducing Holiday Stress-O-Rama

December 8th, 2017
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If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I recently posted some thoughts about December and it’s ups and downs. More than any time of the year, expectations run high and emotional triggers seem to be lie in wait all around us.  There’s shopping and decorating and socializing and it’s all supposed to go according to schedule and be everything that you want it to be. You know.  Like the holidays in the magazines and on television. Except that in real life that doesn’t happen. And it’s okay.  In fact, it’s more than okay. It’s just what life is.… Read More

Having A Thankful Heart

November 20th, 2017
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As we slide into this holiday week of Thanksgiving, my thoughts turn to the simple idea of setting aside a day to show gratitude. Yes life is crazy, messy and unpredictable. Yes the holiday season can be painful and a stinging reminder of a terrible loss or a difficult family situation. But you can sit yourself down and listen to your heart and acknowledge your limits.  Be aware of what you need before you join family and friends for any holiday event.  Express your thoughts and feelings to a trusted person.  Change up your expectations and instead focus on one… Read More

Hold On For One More Day

September 15th, 2017
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Today being Friday, I think we deserve to listen to an outstanding song to celebrate its arrival. You may know the song Hold On from the fabulous and hysterical movie, Bridesmaids. In the movie, Hold On is performed by Wilson Phillips, the original group which cut the record in 1990, and we watch as they sing their classic harmony and then we see the uber-talented actresses/writers/entertainers Maya Rudolph and Kristin Wiig lipsynch the words to the song and dance along to its catchy beat. If you listen to the lyrics you hear that Hold On is about personal empowerment and… Read More

Holiday Weekend — Labor Day

September 1st, 2017
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How many ways can you say HOLIDAY WEEKEND?!?!?!?! I am soooooo happy today to be on the cusp of Labor Day weekend, a very welcome three-day break from the grind of work. I plan to have a long relaxing lunch with a wonderful friend on Saturday and then on Sunday go to another great friend’s house for a delicious seafood dinner with lots of homemade classic sides such as cole slaw and potato salad. Double Yummmmm.  I’m already picturing the food in my mind and getting hungry. I hope you have some fun plans for yourself and your buds or… Read More

Healing Is Not Linear

August 30th, 2017
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One of the most excellent things about reading is when you discover a fictional character in a book who expresses something you have been feeling but haven’t been able to describe. This happened to me the other night while I was reading the Pulitzer Prize winning book, Olive Kitteridge by the beautiful writer and author Elizabeth Strout. In the book, I am introduced to Angie O’Meara, a middle-aged woman who plays piano in a cocktail lounge in Maine.  She has had a few drinks while playing Christmas carols during her shift and out of the corner of her eye she… Read More

Ask The Lightning Bugs

June 15th, 2017
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  Many would say that the oppressive heat that has been visiting the Washington, DC area is proof. Or they might say that the proof is in the feast of freshly picked juicy strawberries that fill the local grocery stores and farmer’s markets. On the other hand, the roses and hydrangeas are bursting in bloom and that could also be proof. But for me, the proof that Summer is here is the seemingly instant appearance of lightning bugs that tease and flit through the warm summer air. I saw the first ones of Summer the other night when I went… Read More

5 Fabulous Ways to Heal

June 8th, 2017
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Healing. What a great word!  When I say it or think about it, I feel warm inside, as though I just ate a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. Our opportunities to find healing are all around us, just waiting for us to reach out.  We can let the passage of time take its own course by hoping, hoping, hoping that healing feelings will eventually wash over us or we can act on trying to heal our inner selves when we feel ready to face the sad or traumatic feelings that we carry in our hearts.  Feeling the pain and talking… Read More