A Little Fear Is A Good Thing
A Little Fear Is a Good Thing... A few years ago, when my younger son and I left my ex-husband and moved into an apartment, I discovered a quote that I fell in love with. It simply says, “If you can’t beat fear, do it scared.” Every morning I’d read that quote and ask...
When Things Don’t Work Out
So, you land your dream job and not a week into it you make some unsettling discoveries. Your boss is a micromanager. Your boss is at his or her desk 24/7 and expects you to do the same. You try for a while, but it’s not working out. Finally, you leave, maybe for...
Are You Missing Your Life?
During my husband’s battle with cancer I learned a lot. I learned how to jump start the car in the dark and race to the hospital at warp speed without getting a ticket. I learned how to give a shot (step 1. close your eyes). I even learned how to make our health...
Say Yes, and Figure It Out Later
A few years ago, I was offered a job I never in a million years thought would come my way. I couldn't believe it. I was honored, touched, thrilled, and convinced I better say, "no thanks." I mean, how could I take that job? I didn't have the skills, the experience,...
No Guilt
A wise woman once told me, "Guilt is a wasted emotion." It's like sitting in a rocking chair; it'll give you something to do, but it's not going to get you anywhere. In fact, the only place guilt takes us is down a deep, dark rabbit hole of self-loathing where lots of...
Trust your gut
We know the truth by the way it feels. Trust your gut is one of those expressions it took me a long time to embrace. Why? Because I have a great gut and lots of times it tells me things I don’t want to hear. A few years ago, though after another of those life-defining...
You Can’t Pour From An Empty Vessel
We all need time to refuel and recharge. You can't pour from an empty vessel. In good times and especially during tough times, we need to take time to refuel. Read a book. Take a walk. Call a friend and, if you need to, ask that friend for help. Ask that friend to...
Survival of the Grateful-est
"Gratitude is the gateway drug to awesomeness." Jen Sincero There's something I like to call Survival of the Grateful-est. It's kind of like survival of the fittest, but better. It's good to be fit, but it's crucial to be grateful. In fact, the more we are thankful...
You’ve got to laugh
"Sometimes a laugh is the only weapon we have." Roger Rabbit You've got to laugh. People frequently ask me how I find the humor in hopeless situations like cancer caregiving and raising a child with autism. The answer is pretty simple: humor gives me distance, it...
Let the holiday shopping games begin
On the new episode of Flaws Are the New Black, the holiday shopping games have begun and already I'm certain I've purchased the wrong thing for my gorgeous teenage nieces. It all started innocently enough when I hit retailmenot.com's cash back day, eager to get cash...
The Grief Keeper
The Grief Keeper is what the lovely folks at TEDxTyons call me in their promo flyer for the event this Saturday, November 9th. (I'm in the morning session for which there are EIGHT whole tickets left. Get one - they're going fast!) The Grief Keeper moniker is apt and...
Testing…testing…
3D glasses not required at TED Talks! The people in the above photo? I have no idea who they are. But I did test my upcoming TED Talk on several groups of willing victims and got some terrific feedback: "One of the only TED Talks I've heard with an idea that is...
Best Vacation Ever
Me and my honey on the beach at sunset in Olde Naples, Florida. I've just returned from the best vacation ever. My sweetheart booked us a condo for a week in Olde Naples, Florida, and from the moment we set eyes on the place we fell in love with it. Right now, it's #1...
A wet walk
My outdoor office. Up early, working away, life's grand. I get up to take a walk. Slip on socks. Skies open. Go back to desk. Work. Wait. Rain lessens! Slip on sneakers. Total downpour. Go back to desk. Work. Wait. Rain stops! Rush to park. First lap, light drizzle....
Fall brings me back to sweating in the stands
Fall brings me back to sweating in the stands at the start of every season of Ridgewood Junior Football. These are not those same stands, but they could be, and I can feel the sweat and see the makeup running off the faces of the moms who sit in them. I'm certain my...
Red’s my color
So delish! Discovered it at Claire's at the Depot. We were at Davios in Philadelphia when we discovered this to-die-for Malbec. And we found this incredibly delectable blend at Field and Main. I'm in love with it. Forever and ever, I've talked and written about how...
On My Mind
This quote, "Only the mediocre are always at their best," has been on my mind the past few days. I've written, rewritten, and rewritten again a talk I'm giving in the not too distant future and I fluctuate between liking my efforts, hating my efforts, and really...
Does this happen in your house?
Seriously? Does this happen in your house? You wash the towels so they're clean and yummy smelling, dry them with softener sheets so they don't scratch and are even more yummy smelling and put them in the bathroom all pretty, like this (if you're hanging them on a...