In some of my previous posts, I have written about weeding the garden. This involves insuring that you make time in your life for those who make time for you, rather than wasting it on those who no longer find you beneficial. For so many years I clung to relationships that sapped my life energy simply because I felt needed. Somehow, I let their constant desire for attention without reciprocation become a validation for my own existence. It was only when I discovered true friendship in its best form that I realized… Read More

When I was growing up, I always knew that I wanted to do something extraordinary. Not for myself, but something that would make some small mark on the world that would leave it a little better off than I found it. I went through life believing that it would come some day, I just didn’t know when. Then three and a half years ago it was all made clear. From the very first day that I walked into my grandmother’s room at her senior community, I knew my life was going to… Read More

Ever wonder why it is so much harder to be kind to ourselves than it is to be kind to others? The expectations and pressure that we expect ourselves to live under is sometimes overwhelming and unkind. Have I done enough? Is what have I done good enough? Why can’t I do more? So many times we expect ourselves to be perfect and sometimes forget that we are human just like everyone else. When I was growing up I put high expectations on myself. I needed to have the best grades, do… Read More

Think about the last time that someone did something for you and the feeling with which that left you. Now think about the last time you did something for someone and how good it made you feel. The act of appreciation releases a set of endorphins that just makes the body and mind feel good and is one of the most underrated forms of self fulfillment that we have. Showing appreciation does not require large amounts of energy or money. A simple thank you, card or verbal acknowledgement is all that it… Read More

The older we get, the more important it is to have people around us who bring value to our lives rather than sap our life energy. We don’t always realize that in our earlier years as we try and find our way in the world and weed through the mass to find those who will ultimately be our life long friends. When we are younger we have the energy to deal with those that make our life more difficult rather than meaningful. However, as we age we start to weed the garden… Read More

In our lives, there is no one that can be harder on us than ourselves. We repeatedly beat ourselves up for past transgressions. We carry guilt for some wrong that we may have done years ago. We are constantly anxious about everything going on around us that may involve our home life, work or social situations. In doing this, we rob ourselves of the very moments that we should be enjoying the life that we have been given. One of the programs that I just finished on my meditation app that I… Read More

We all worry about money. Do we have enough, how can we get more, will there be enough to retire and the list goes on? In fact, the amount of money that one possesses is often used as the barometer for how valuable their life is. However, when you think about it, money is only a means of bartering and exchange that was created so long ago, way after life itself was created. It’s only value is that which we place on it and when it becomes the most valuable thing in… Read More

When I saw this quote, it struck me just how true it is. Every minute of every day we are making decisions that determine where our life is going in those next minutes. Sometimes, we unfortunately make the same wrong decisions over and over, without realizing that a different decision could alter the very path from which we are trying to escape. Why do you think that is? My guess is it is most likely because, although that decision may be the wrong one, it is comfortable and familiar. When I write… Read More

As we get older, our lives become more complex, complicated and sometimes downright difficult. As we strive to meet the needs of our families, our jobs and ultimately ourselves, squeezing in time to just take a break from it all becomes more and more difficult. When we fail to find that release, the stress within us continues to build over time like a pressure cooker. When it has no outlet, it tends to break free when we least expect it and sometimes in the most unpleasant of ways. Being one of those… Read More

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending my 40th (yikes), I did say my 40th high school reunion. It was great catching up with every one and seeing people that you usually only get to see every ten years. Hearing about families, the work each is doing and how far their lives have come was a validation of how far I have come since leaving Okeechobee all those years ago. As I watched the Homecoming festivities unfold, I was reminded of how important those things were to us when we were… Read More