Overcoming Childhood Trauma Often Starts with Escaping the Fight or Flight Response George and Betty’s doors were buttoned up tightly the day I stood on the side of my house metamorphosing into a twelve-year-old hustler. But smoke billowed from my neighbors’ chimney, so I knew they were home. They were my best option for getting […]
You may not know this about me, but I used to be a lawyer. Well, I still am a lawyer, but I don’t practice anymore. But there was a time when all I wanted to do was defend criminals. Not because I had a warm and fuzzy for lawlessness. Actually, it was the opposite: I […]
For those of you who have been reading along over the past few months, you know that when I was twelve my dad went to prison. You also know that my Christian school wasn’t too fond of my dad being a criminal. They didn’t believe that the daughter of a felon should be the valedictorian, […]
Lately my husband David and I have just been co-existing. We’re walking around the house like co-workers. Like roommates. Like people who have too much to do. We both woke up at 4:30 a.m. recently and couldn’t fall back to sleep. Truth be told, it was more me nudging him and prodding, “Are you awake? […]
You may not know this about me, but I used to be a lawyer. Well, I’m still a lawyer, but I don’t practice anymore. But there was a time when all I wanted to do was defend criminals. Not because I had a warm and fuzzy feeling towards lawlessness. Actually, it was the opposite: I […]
Were you raised in a “shame on you” household? I sure was. Maybe it was the era. Maybe it was my parents pushing me to be more. Or maybe it’s how they were raised. But I’ll tell you what—“shame on you” was a punishment that often hurt more than a bare butt spanking. But let’s […]
What do you want more than anything right now? Go ahead. Name it, I’ll wait. Great. Now when you identify this thing or situation you want, is the energy surrounding it dripping with desperation? Does it feel anxious and clingy? Are you white-knuckling your dream? If so, let’s back up. There’s a magic to manifesting […]
I hate skiing! I tried it years ago and I fell––a lot. I mean a lot. Heck, I even fell off the chairlift. And that wasn’t the really humiliating part, the real embarrassment occurred when a six-year-old gracefully glided off the lift four chairs later while I was still in a duck and cover position […]
When’s the last time you grieved? If it’s been a while, you’re probably overdue. Grief is an essential emotion for long-term happiness. During a time of loss, it offers us the shelter to stay put and the freedom to move on. But it doesn’t always feel that way, does it? I know from experience that […]
In the days of Covid it’s easy to lose your holiday spirit. Even though a vaccine is on the horizon, they say it’s going to be a long, lonely winter before we feel its positive impact. So we’re told not to gather. Not to visit. Not to toast one another. Even the age-old tradition of […]