What exactly is responsibility? I grew up as the oldest of 5 children being told, “You have to be the responsible one. You should know better. You must set the example.” I’ve been contemplating this word, responsibility, for the past few months. What am I really responsible for? Who or what am I responsible to? …
Senseless Violence Why? An easy question to ask when your town has just experienced a mass shooting. Three days ago, I posted an article on my blog, How to Love in the Face of Pain. Loving in the face of pain is so difficult, and now my own community is faced with a trial to …
We exist in a noisy world filled with so many people, products, companies, projects, ideas, etc. competing for our attention and generating noise all the time. Add to that the political climate and pandemic challenges, and it’s no wonder we may feel a bit like our life is not ours. I’m noticing more than ever …
A question came up recently in a group I participate in about how to stay on task when feeling drained, and keep emotions separate from the work we need to do. The first thing that came to me when I read the question was, “I am not what I’m experiencing.” When I remember this, then …
The beginning of February marks the Gaelic Festival of Imbolc, St. Brigid’s Day, the Christian Festival of Candlemas, and the Chinese New Year. While many people think of Solstices and Equinoxes as being the beginnings of the seasons, Indigenous Wisdom considers the Solstices and Equinoxes to be the peaks of the seasons. Imbolc is celebrated …
As the weather turns cold and our days are the shortest of the year, the darkness can feel challenging. While we’ve passed the longest night of the year, we still have a long winter ahead, and for some, that can bring on a sense of depression, anxiety, and most of all, loneliness. I was reminded …
I’ve been deeply moved by the response to my last article, Trauma, Addiction and Healing, and so grateful to know that it was of such support to so many. I’m especially inspired to get back to more writing, and I thank you for that inspiration! Tomorrow is the first Sunday of Advent, meaning, “the coming.” …
I hesitate to have my first article in a long while be one of such a heavy topic, and yet perhaps it’s fitting for what’s happening in the world today. In the past, I’ve spoken and written about the idea that very few of us are immune to addiction. If we’re not addicted to hard …
Last week, I expressed some radical ideas about the root of anxiety. That article was intended to offer some solace and comfort in the knowing that you’re not alone in feeling anxiety and all that tends to come with it. We’re living in challenging times, and there are many things generating anxiety on every level. …
What exactly is anxiety? Most all definitions indicate that to be anxious is to be greatly troubled by uncertainties. In considering the origin of the word anxious, it’s from the Latin anxius, meaning “concerned, uneasy, troubled in mind.” It’s also defined as “causing anxiety” from the word angere or anguere, which is “to choke, squeeze, …