Blog Posts

Last week’s meditation on commonly confused word pairs opened up one of the rabbit holes which I love to jump down and meander through. Much of what occurs in these quagmires is of little interest to anyone else (especially those with solid mental health), but every now and then I stumble upon (in my opinion) a shareable nugget. This week, in keeping with the theme of confusion, I investigated the fertile ground of my evolving self-image. And I realized that, throughout my li

In my indiscriminate and nearly ceaseless reading, I recently came across something that perfectly articulated my evolving understanding of a concept. I’m paraphrasing, but the gist was that self-care is doing things you don’t necessarily want to do that will enhance your life in the long run (for example, swallowing the vitamins, stretching every morning upon waking, meditating, consuming wisely, physically and otherwise, taking sleep seriously), and the stuff that is instan

In the early days of my third act, the epiphanies were arriving fast and furiously (I wrote about that here). Now, years later, they’re fewer and further between. This week, though, brought a jackpot of insight. My dreams, my unconscious, and serendipity all conspired to present me with two major, mind-altering nuggets. Disconnection was on my mind. Continued radio silence from the former lover I expected to remain in my life. A sudden, bewildering friendship breakup. A parti

I talked a while back about my well-developed ability to pivot, and this week provided a refresher course for both me and the CWP. When a badly sprained foot (pro tip: if you can, take a moment to become fully conscious before responding to a fire alarm) was added to her challenges, we decided to move her to my house temporarily for some rest and TLC. It was a bitter pill for her, who had just the week before taken the proverbial step forward. I watched her vent a little and

Almost twelve years ago, the implosion of my marriage and an ensuing series of unfortunate events laid the foundation for a sea change in every aspect of my life. Over time, the learning, healing, and growing I was fortunate enough to experience rendered my life unrecognizable from the one I’d previously been living. While I did make some important additions, the bulk of the changes I made were a matter of subtraction: dropping my attempts to control; no longer seeking approv

I’ve written before about filling the well, or injecting novelty into your life in order to stimulate curiosity and growth. One of my favorite ways to do that is through travel, and this week a short road trip reminded me of the importance of breaking out of my routine. Shaking things up a bit also provided me with the opportunity to switch up some habits of thought and reactions. There were minor glitches along the way that would have once set me on a downward mental spiral;

Last week I talked about how a short session of quieting transformed my mood and my day. It also led to a veritable avalanche of decluttering and quieting this week, which has resulted in such pleasure that it feels like it might be illegal. There’s the removal of bags of items for donation or disposal, creating space and calm and saving some poor soul from the task at a later date. There’s the peace gained from focusing on a task while simultaneously giving myself the illusi

It was a tough couple of days: an eye infection that just would not quit; a heart wrenching conversation with someone I love; my estranged son’s birthday; an outing I’d been looking forward to canceled; a call to return to the dermatologist’s office “just to be safe”. I noticed myself preparing to shut down, to dish out some ice cream (or pour a glass of wine), get on the couch, and start the endless tape of old stories. Remembering that movement precedes motivation, I decide

Last week, I resolved to be more present and to work toward radical acceptance. Which means I’m noticing and naming things. This week’s big takeaway should come as no surprise: I’m much happier when my consumption of social media is minimal. I’d recently noticed that the time I spent online had inadvertently crept upward and set a vague intention to decrease it. And I did for the most part. Yet this week, when other things and people kept me too busy to spend much time overlo

From the collage exhibit at Boca Raton Museum of Art. Lack of proper attribution courtesy of my ADD. Last week, as my vacation ended, I articulated the ways in which I wanted to recalibrate my daily life by editing some things and incorporating more of others. This week, returning to “real life” after two weeks of deep relaxation, I’ve been a bit surprised to notice just how loud and distracting the chatter in my head can be. It might be my inner Judge Judy relitigating the p

Well, the world didn’t right itself while I was on a break (hope springs eternal), but I do feel better equipped to persist. Spending two weeks filling the well brings an infusion of energy and a fresh perspective. It shows me what I can do without (detailed planning that leaves no room for serendipity, too many shoulds, and too much time on social media). It also shows me what I want more of in my life (spontaneity, outings and travel, creativity, physical activity). All of