Blog
Negative Thought Patterns
This young man who works security at my building stopped me yesterday to ask a question. He said someone long ago predicted that he would be obese or a criminal. He said he still thinks about this from time to time. He asked if there was anything he could do to get...
Well Being
When a friend mentioned something about a character strengths survey a few years ago, I was intrigued. I immediately googled it and was introduced to the world of Positive Psychology. I had taken a couple of psych classes decades ago, but I had never pursued it as...
A for Accomplishment
Monetary aspects of retirement are usually first and foremost in people’s minds. They diligently save money for their golden years. This is a fear based approach though. People worry about not having money to live after they stop working so they singularly focus on...
Let’s do this! (1)
I decided to retire at 55. I didn’t have a plan A or a B for what I would do once I got to Chicago. This much I knew though, I was going to move to Chicago eventually. I had purchased a condo there the year before, just a couple of weeks before my granddaughter was...
Sky Is Falling
Is it just me, or does Chicken Little live in everyone’s head? Knowing that there are umpteen books on anxiety, and countless memes/words of wisdom of encouragement, I have a feeling I’m not the only one. In their book “The Resilience Factor” psychologists Karen...
Emotional Resilience Practice
Just as we think we are leaving Covid 19 behind and returning to our “normal” lives, there is talk about a new variant, Deltacron (a combination of Delta and Omicron), surfacing. It is understandable to feel discouraged if not defeated. Acknowledging these emotions...
Mindful Resilience
Picture this: Lucy, a young girl in her teens, living about 300,000 years ago, is looking for berries as she walks out in the African Savanna. In the distance, she sees a large beige object. This could be a lion, or a rock. If Lucy decides it is a rock and...
Reflecting on 2021
As with all years, 2021 was full of ups and downs for me. That’s what life is all about after all, isn’t it? I accept that and feel grateful for the ups and try to learn something from the downs. This is how I feel complete with 2021 and move forward to 2022 a...
Who the heck is my higher self?
This morning, I chose a guided meditation called Saturday Pilgrimage. It was a visualization exercise for a pilgrimage to my chosen sacred place. The guide asked that I bring my attention to my higher self and imagine rising above my head to meet her. Hard as I...
Do You Live?
This morning, I was reading poems from Mary Oliver’s book A Thousand Mornings. In it, the fox says to Mary “You fuss over life with your clever words, mulling and chewing on its meaning, while we just live it.” What is it about us, human beings that we fuss about...
