Gratitude trumps anxiety every time
Gratitude is the key to beating back anxiety. Join me for the new episode of Flaws Are The New Black and let's talk about putting it to work for you and those you love.
It’s not jeans weather yet, but it will be
Jeans too tight? Lay on your bed, yank 'em on, suck in your gut, and button them. If you can stand up (and that's a big "if"), go directly for the Gas-X. You're gonna need it. It's not jeans weather yet, but it will be. With the heat we're having, anything heavier...
Truth: perfect is the enemy of good
Sometime ago when I was telling my friend Laura about how painfully slow my writing days can be because I fuss over every single sentence, she said, "You know, Susan, perfect is the enemy of good." I was very impressed. What a fabulous, accurate statement, I thought....
Losing Wendy
My pretty friend Wendy with her son Doug, on the left, and his friend Will. She was a rugby mom like the rest of us, standing on the sidelines watching her son the same way we all watched our sons – hands over our eyes, fingers parted just enough to be able to see....
When Valerie Monroe calls me
Sometimes I give in to this fantasy about when Valerie Monroe calls me. Ms. Monroe, for those of you who don't know, is the Beauty Editor at O The Oprah Magazine. When she likes a product, its sales skyrocket. When she loves a product, its developers can go buy...
A conversation with my Dad
"Suz, how’s, how’s, you know, my favorite guy?” I’m on the phone with my Dad. He’s 90. Can’t hear. Can’t recall much anymore (including, sadly, his kids’ names, never mind those of our significant others). He also can’t stop talking long enough for me to help him out....
And now, another reason not to go hiking
As if I needed another reason not to go hiking: bears are helping themselves to the picnics outdoorsy types bring to enjoy once they reach the summit of Old Rag Mountain, and they don’t care that folks are standing there, taking their picture as they make their escape. These are very comfortable bears, my friends
When terrible memories abuse us anew
Why is it I can go along for ages with certain horrid memories tucked away so deep it’s like they never happened, and then BAM, awaken one morning – this morning – to discover one of them out and about and abusing me anew? I don’t know. He used to take the dog out...
On Writing
My favorite Stephen King quote. If you don’t read, you can’t write I can’t tell you how many times people have approached me at book signings and writing clinics and told me they want to write a book, have to write a book, they’re going to write a book! But I can tell...
Keeping Your Voice
Not speaking up, not having boundaries, and not listening to what our guts are telling us is unwise at best and dangerous at worst. The new episode of Flaws Are The New Black is about the importance of Keeping Your Voice and was inspired by an "ah ha!" moment I had...
A Parent is Someone Who Loves You Enough to Parent You
Me and my beautiful mom. She's my parent. My dad too, but she's prettier! A parent is someone who loves you enough to parent you and that's the topic of the latest episode of Flaws Are the New Black . My feeling is that those who love you enough to do the hard work of...
A week with my mom
Casey, my 6'5" son, hugging my super petite mom. I'm blessed to have spent a week with mom or, as many of you know her, Dame Joan. We haven't done a lot, frankly because she has a tough time walking for any length of time, but I think it says a lot about our...
Did you see the one where Susan actually references “He Whose Name Must Not Be Spoken”?
Such a hottie. And no, I'm not talking about Voldemort. The new episode of Flaws Are The New Black brought back a memory I thought I should share. Because the memory is attached to what's-his-name, it might have given me pause but, you know me, almost nothing gives me...
Am I Making a Fool of Myself?
So, whatever you want to do, just do it. Making a fool of yourself is absolutely essential. - Gloria Steinem Am I making a fool of myself? Since launching my blog in 2006 and sharing every funny, unfunny, silly, sometimes super stupid thought that crossed my mind, I...
Make The Call
With all the things we can do on our cell phone - send money, create graphics, take pictures, read news, send email and texts, post to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. - I think we sometimes forget that we can also use it to "make the call." As in a phone...
TED Talk Research Results, Part I
I won the golden ticket! A few weeks ago I won the opportunity to give a TED Talk this fall. At the time, the awesome folks at TEDx Tysons told me they'd be in touch to work with me on expanding my talk to 18-minutes in length. In touch when, I wondered. The next day?...
Love yourself anyway
Embrace your perfectly imperfect self. Join me for Flaws Are the New Black!
Think Before Paying It Forward
Random acts of kindness and generosity make my day. Doing them for others, receiving them out of the blue, those things make me smile and renew my faith in the goodness of humankind. But there are things we should think twice about before paying them forward. For...