We all know now that it can change in an instant. Everything. And here we are wondering what to do next. I have some questions for you. How are you feeling? Are you doing what you need to be doing in your life? Are you doing what you want to be doing? Are you taking care of yourself? Are you planning to be happy/content/safe? Because, in an instant, everything can change. We have now seen this for ourselves with the pandemic. * So, today, in addition to giving you those quest

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

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

I want to write something amazing, healing and thoughtful. I want my words to make you feel better about everything. I want to use magical phrases that will make your mind rest, stop your thoughts from spinning and dispel your fear and anxious feelings of uncertainty. But I don’t know which words I could use to accomplish that. We are at an anxiety level that many of us have never felt before. Our brains are on high alert all of the time. What the hell do we do with all the f

There is nothing inside of you that can ensure your happiness.

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

What if that is how we started approaching our goals? Not as something to become perfect at, but as something we want to practice each

Right now, I have a group of men in my house, one of whom I know for a fact, strongly dislikes me. I’m okay with people not liking me most of the time but I don’t like feeling uncomfortable in my own home. I am in the process of renovating a bathroom. This is Week Four of strangers in my home. My tendency is always to be nice, but as an introvert who works at home it is always A LOT to have invaders in my space. Things have moved along with no overly obnoxious interactions a

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

Stress. We feel it, we know what it is, but we often act like there “ain’t nothin’ we can do about it.” Years ago, I gave many talks and led retreats about how to reduce stress. I taught people how to breathe to become calm and present in the moment, and how to recognize what they could change and what they couldn’t change in their lives. I gave them action steps and coached the people who really wanted to make changes. I wrote books and articles. I still do. But some people

Sometimes life just ups and punches you right in the gut. And then as your body automatically jerks forward, with an oomph that lets much-needed air out of your lungs and you struggle to get a breath, life comes down hard on the back of your head and this time, you fall forward all the way to the ground. You take more than a few seconds to raise your shoulders, wincing as you push down on your scraped palms, and as you painfully raise your head, life slaps you across the face

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

Your Spirit Extends All Around You. Your spirit makes you, you.  It is ageless. Your spirit lives within you and extends all around your human body. Your spirit, like everything else in the universe, has a powerful energy and is constantly vibrating. It sends all of your feelings and thoughts of love or hate out into the world. Your spirit has no age. However, just as your body feels fatigue, so can your spirit. When we feel sadness, depression or anger, our spirits are fatig

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

I start my mornings with Louise Hay. I also listen to her during the day and many times before I fall asleep. As I listen to her, I pretend she is my Mom. When she tells me she loves me and encourages me to love myself, I say thank you. I still do this even though she passed away recently. Louise Hay, author of You Can Heal Your Life, Founder of Hay House Publishing, Miraculous Soul, Amazing Woman and the Queen of Affirmations, changed my life. I am a better person because of

Reading ahead in my book, I spotted this message. I thought about how important it is right now, today, in our world, to do this. Understanding  has to start somewhere, and why not with each of us? We have seen the effects of hate. Let’s try love. December 11th Focus on Kindness and Understanding Many people are worried and distracted. You may be, too. Happy Action: Try to focus on kindness and understanding. People may be rude. You can control your reaction. Set the example

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

There are certain song lyrics that just please the hell out of me. Listening to music I will often think now that is a great line! Wow! Song lyrics can make us smile or make our hearts ache. The power may be in the writing and the clever combination of the words or it may be that a singer touches our hearts with her voice. Often the song lyrics just hit home with what we have experienced in the past or are experiencing in our lives now. There are certain songs that take me ri