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All the Great Blessings   Spring has arrived and the tiny chirps of newborn birds permeate the air while the hummingbirds dart in an out of the yard. They bring such a simple pleasure to my days. I am blessed. There are special times, exquisite moments when events conspire...

Tend and Befriend We all have stressors in our lives that are unique to the societal landscape we live in today. The fight/flight concept as the automatic response to stress has been applied to both genders for decades. This familiar metaphor represents the notion that when we...

The Third Choice I am from a family of 11 kids. Seven boys and four girls. I am second eldest, eldest girl. In big families, position determines your potential authority. My one older brother was problematic for me. He would stand in the doorway to the kitchen waiting for me to...

Moonlight Becomes You The current rains have turned our city green and lush, with the majestic hills as a backdrop and the dynamic, vibrant ocean sparkling in the sun. Our outer surroundings supply nourishment in the pursuit of fulfilling the dream of living a quality life. The...

The statement ‘learn to live in the present moment’ ranks right up there as a catch-all phrase that I would be hard pressed to argue with, though I do admit it irks me when it is used as the definitive answer to erase angst and fear. Rather than shutting down our...

Taming the Dragons and Demons of the Mind Many people are suffering from a malady that is widespread but seldom mentioned. It is particularly prevalent among successful, accomplished professionals, both men and women, whether single or married. This hidden problem is responsible...

A Sanity Assessment Happy New Year 2019! Many of us have given up on the tradition of New Year’s resolutions because of the all-too-common experience that they end up forgotten by the second week of January. Instead, let’s talk about how we can expand our vision to...

Holiday Magic The front of the card said: “Christmas Therapy Group.” It pictured a caricature of a psychiatrist sitting in front of a semi-circle that included Santa, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Reindeer, and an elf. The dialogue bubble over Santa’s head read, “I don’t...

Is It Time to Flip Your Attitude Switch?   Today, it seems like we travel on the highway of life at breakneck speeds, operating in full-on problem-solving mode, and then the holidays arrive, and we are supposed to slam on the breaks and be instantly ready to enjoy harmonious...

Are You an Over-Talker or an Over-Listener? Talking and listening were fraternal twins separated at birth. Their parents were young and immature and so adoption appeared the best solution for the wellbeing of the babies. It was decided that neither of the adoptive parents would...

Thank You for Your Unsolicited Opinion (Said Nobody Ever) Nextdoor is billed as a forum where neighbors can share pertinent information about where to find help, recommend local businesses based upon their direct experience, and in general, serve as a way to connect us with other...

Who Do You Trust? If asked, I bet you could easily bring to mind a number of people in your life that have your trust. If you delve a bit deeper, I am also sure that you have had the experience of trusting someone implicitly and found they didn’t deserve it. “You are...

How To Escape the Loneliness Trap Penetrate deeply into the secret existence of anyone, even those who seem particularly happy, and their interior landscape will house pockets of emptiness and heart hurts that have left rough scar tissue and abandoned memories from past traumas,...

Have You Lost the Magic? Can you remember back to an earlier time, somewhere around age 14 or 15, when great expectations lived in your imagination about what your future would hold? Love, romance, adventure, freedom to express and to chart your own course, were all contained...

It Takes Courage to Be Happy   One day, when I was in my mid-20s, my insightful boss/mentor turned to me and said, “Are you happy?” I was surprised by the question because it seemed out of place. My answer was vague and rambling and my mind was caught off guard. At that...