Ever get to that place where you “lose your cool”? The hotter it gets, it seems, the easier it is to lose it. And when you loose your cool, nobody feels good afterwards. Your target doesn’t like that kind of attention, and then there’s the guilt that swamps over you, leaving shame and embarrassment in […]

My son is living with me this summer as he commutes to his college internship. He’s a kind and gentle young man and I like him a lot. But, having him here reminds me how much I have to work with myself to refrain from taking his learning away from him. In that refrain is […]

I remember the excited delight of getting out of school for the summer. It was great and we students were ready to jump long before the final bell rang. Sweet memories I cherish, but not so much how I feel about May these days. Nevertheless, here we go. It’s the end of May, heading into […]

You’ve celebrated—or survived—another Mother’s Day. Whatever the day held, your experience of Mother’s Day was unique. It was yours, and yours alone. But the question I want to ask on this week after Mother’s Day is universal. Now that you’ve had your experience of Mother’s Day, how did you mother yourself? Were you kind and […]

When I think of celebrating Mother’s Day, I think of having my children here at home with me, spending time together as a family. That would be the perfect gift.   Or would it?   On the one hand, being with my kids and doing something special, like going on a bike ride together on […]

“Practice dying.” That is family therapist Carl Whitaker’s advice on living fully (he was quoting Plato). Throughout the 25 years that quote has been posted on my bulletin board, I’ve revised my interpretation of it from time to time. After being so ill once that I literally did have one foot in the grave, I’ve […]

Five years ago I wrote and published a book, Sweet Relief from the Everyday Narcissist. At the time, it was a heart-felt offering of support for people who find themselves stymied by their relationships with folks who are perpetually displeased with them. It was the “amen” to relationships I’d encountered that provided me a curriculum […]

My favorite memory of Valentine’s Day is a white paper sack that I carefully decorated when I was a second-grader. I cut out construction paper hearts, added stickers, and doused the whole thing with glitter. It was for collecting Valentine’s cards from my classmates and friends. It was filled to the top, and I felt […]