I’m answering emails and half watching the 2024 Emmy Awards on TV, mostly to see the fancy dresses and gorgeous humans. I gaze up from my laptop as Niecy Nash-Betts accepts her trophy for Outstanding Supporting Actress, proudly raises it to the sky, and yells “I’m…
Embracing the Gifts Within
Tis the season of gifts and yummies! Harry and David stacked boxes of juicy pears and moose munch, homemade holiday cookies, eggnog, latkes with applesauce, etc. I love receiving (and eating!) these gifts as much as the next person; and I love giving gifts too. It’s…
Embracing the Many “Ands” of Midlife
At my recent “Day of Embracing the Middle,” I asked the participants to bring along symbols of their current midlife experience. You know, things like reading glasses, wrinkle cream, or an empty nest image. When the women arrived, I had them place their objects on…
Embracing the Sweet Spots
Embracing the Sweet Spots Yesterday something weird happened. I woke up to the lilting sound of birdsong and a brilliant sunshine streaming through the window and smiled (while still in bed!). When I opened the curtains, my smile broadened at the blooming flowers in the…
Embracing Each and Every Birthday
Embracing Each and Every Birthday The Many Gifts of Age This Thursday, March 3rd is my birthday. Yay! I will be 57. Yikes. That’s a biggish number. It’s entering the late 50s, with 60 in the not-so-distant horizon. It’s a number that, in my younger years,…
The Magic of “And” Remembering the Vastness of 2020
I recently reached out to my Zen teacher Diane. I was frustrated, yet again, grappling with a very old issue around self-acceptance. Despite my many years of personal growth efforts, this ancient and sticky issue keeps showing up. As Diane and I only talk intermittently,…
To Be of Genuine Significance to Another Person
One of my father’s most precious, lasting gifts was his beautiful maxim on living a meaningful life. His motto on meaningful living was “To be of genuine significance to another person.” I got goosebumps and was speechless the first time he shared these words with…
Widening Our Emotional Container
I began writing this blog while my 89-year-father was in the ICU. In early May, he was diagnosed with metastatic cancer and weeks later his health began to rapidly decline. A day after my hasty arrival in New Orleans, an ambulance whisked him away for…