A worldwide pandemic. That is what we have all been through together. The whole world. That still amazes me. We know that people have had varied experiences during this massive upheaval of our lives. Yet all of us experienced the pandemic at the same time. We are going through the recovery at the same time. That fact fascinates me. I think of future generations and the stories we will tell. Remember the beginning? Shock. Fear. Confusion. Finally, acceptance that we had to sta

Wayne Dyer said, “What other people think of me is actually none of my business.” My mother would NEVER EVER have understood this statement. EVERY PERSON’S opinion about us mattered, and all opinions mattered more than our own. I grew up with, What did they say? What did they say about your new coat? What did they say about your project, hair, sweater, shoes, mom, dad and on and on until I wanted to fall to the floor and beg for mercy. At one point, when I was perhaps sixteen

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” - Desmond Tutu 2020. The unimaginable happened and the world shut down. As we tried to take it all in, scrambled to feed our families and homeschool our children, the news kept coming at us. Then in May, we, as a nation, had to face our country’s deep-seated racism in the ugliest way imaginable as we witnessed the murder of George Floyd. Families have suffered through job loss, sickness and death dur

With the shutdown of the country came the shutdown of my writing. I have published exactly two blog posts and one magazine article since THE PANDEMIC. That is not a great amount. Everything else I start to write seems so trivial or else so horrible that it would take pages to delve into even one particular subject out of so many. Today, I opened a new document to make yet another attempt at creativity and inspiration, with perhaps a dash of wit. This is me, trying to write. I

Life that is. And it just did. All of a sudden, we are in the middle of a crisis and it is scary, daunting and so very confusing. This is LIFE. Recently, I remembered a thought that came to me a few years ago. “What if I hadn’t broken my neck?” My heart actually sped up a bit and I stopped moving. I felt a stab of fear. Fear of what would have happened if I hadn’t suffered a life-threatening injury. Strange as it sounds, breaking my neck was actually one of the best things th

Healthy, happy families, and they do exist, are not really worrying about the upcoming Holidays except to plan food, gifts and events. Although there may be some stress concerning budgeting, travel arrangements or amounts of this or that for meals, overall, they are anticipating the holidays with delight. They want to see relatives, and they look forward to catching up, laughing, visiting and exchanging ideas. Unhealthy families do not anticipate holidays with pleasure. Unhea

Once upon a time, in a kingdom not far from here, there lived an amazing woman. She had a fulfilling career, a supportive partner, and a loving family. Her windows sparkled with cleanliness in the sunlight and her outfits were always impeccable. She was friendly with everyone she met and was always patient with her children. It was rumored throughout the kingdom that she exercised every single day, and…this always amazed the listeners….she only ate healthy foods! She had time

What if you were already future you? What if you already had the ideal job? What if you had already lost the weight? What if you were already living where you want to live? What if? What would that look like, and more importantly, what would it FEEL like? Suggestion: Try feeling that way right now. A few years ago, my sister was quite angry with her husband when he was being truly annoying. She could feel the irritation getting worse, when suddenly she thought, “What if I was

Pick One Healthy Choice (There’s 99 More!) They each only take 15 minutes! 1. Read through the Fit and Healthy List 2. Slowly, carefully, stretch out every part of your body.  Breathe. 3. Water all plants in your house—good for everyone.                                4. Walk out your front door. Walk for 7 1⁄2 minutes. Turn around. Go back home. This could equal 1⁄2 mile to 1 mile. (Or get on that treadmill/elliptical for 15 minutes!) 5. Make a salad to have for a later lunc

Forgiveness: My mantra for 2018. It’s time for me to forgive. I need to forgive other people and myself. I am going to move forward with this in the new year and free myself from carrying around all this heavy, heavy shit. I stopped eating all sweets in December. (I still cannot believe I made it through the holidays without eating cookies or candy! This has NEVER happened before.) I lost weight which is what I hoped would happen, but as I got lighter and felt I could move mo

It’s that time of year. Excitement! Parties Gifts! and oh yeah,….stress. Use these Seven Tips to help you not only survive the Holiday season, but have a good time! Get plenty of sleep so your body stays strong and ready for whatever gets thrown at it. (Germs, crabby people, over-excited children, and oh yes… those relatives!) This is a key component in stress reducing. Practice deep breathing. Slow, deep breathing revitalizes your brain, your cells–every part of your body. W

Breaking bad habits doesn’t have to be complicated. Would you like a technique to help you change the habits you hate, to habits you love? In this post I will share an idea that has worked for me and for many of my clients. Your thoughts may go something like this: “I will drink more water everyday!” “I will get up and stretch every hour when I am working at my computer.” “I will remember to plan ahead for breakfast.” And so on… And then, a few days later, you think, “Oh yeah

It can be difficult to “Let Go.” We don’t want to let go of a friend who has left us or let go of a lover who has moved on. We may not want to let go of our strong beliefs about a situation even when we know we may be wrong. We don’t want to let go of foods that are bad for us, or habits that could be hurting our health. In order to live healthy, happy lives, we must learn to let go of the things that don’t serve us anymore. Maybe those desserts you love making are becoming a

Can people change? Recently a friend of mine re-hired an employee who hadn’t worked out when she hired her over twenty years ago. The woman swore she was more mature, had changed, was going to be a great employee. My friend was impressed with how she presented herself and though it had ended badly the last time, she gave her another chance. Months went by and it seemed to be working, and then it wasn’t. She failed to show up for work and well, one thing led to another, and my

Are you ready for spring? I am! I am tired of winter, being cooped up or when I am out, navigating the ice and shivering with cold. I know there are some brave souls out there who keep on jogging, keep up their walks, (Bravo!) and engage in healthy, wonderful, winter sports. And then, there’s the rest of us. The rest of us have been waiting for spring. We have been eager to open the windows, throw on a light jacket, and go for a walk. This is my favorite season. I love the

I had to call in help from out of town. I knew I wanted to do it; however, I wasn't sure I could go all the way. I consider myself very strong but this was a new area in which to challenge myself. I questioned my stamina. I wanted to completely start over. Was I brave enough? Could I turn my back on what I knew, what I was used to? Could I stick with a whole new way of living? Yes, my friends. It was time to clean out my clothes closet. My sister arrived to celebr

The most important day of my life was the day I broke my neck. The world changed. Every decision I made after that day was different than it would have been, had it not happened. You grow up hearing, “Don’t do that—you’ll break your neck!” You hear about people diving into pools, and the horror of being a quadriplegic. And here I was. I had broken my neck. I was alive and I wasn’t paralyzed. How had I gotten to this point in my life? How had I gotten to this emergency room, w