Posts Tagged: life


13
May 13

My Elevator Pitch

 

I’m on my way to a dentist appointment.  I’m wearing a cotton skirt, sandals, a faded denim blouse and a smile.  I can’t remember the last time I wore nylons or had a manicure.  I’m thinking about how much more garden I have to turn up before we get to start planting. I make a mental note to stop at the hardware store after the dentist.  I’ll get washers to fix the hose, check out the bedding plants and grab a bag of briquettes.  It’s warm enough for burgers on the grill tonight.  The sun tea should be ready in time for dinner.

The elevator doors close and a woman in a tailored business suit turns, looks me up and down and says, “So what do you do?”

“Hi.

Um.

Well…

I guide two outstanding young people through the minefield of dealing with a narcissistic parent.   I homeschool, practice living on a budget, and work from home.  I wrote a couple motivational books for those in difficult relationships, and I’m working on a novel.  I blog about narcissism to shed light on NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder).    Through stories and pictures, I show how good life can be when brave steps are taken to leave an abusive relationship.  Creativity, humor and harmony are on my list of priorities, right after my kids, reading and sleep.  I drink too much coffee and try not to take myself too seriously.

Thanks for asking.

What do you do?”

The doors opened.  As she stepped one heel out of the elevator, she looked over her shoulder and said, “Are you hiring?”

 

 

 


18
Apr 13

On Spring Cleaning, Fly Fishing and Hard Feelings

My idea of spring cleaning consists of blowing the dust off the stuff on the high shelf just enough to release the cobwebs that are anchored there.  When a quick puff didn’t take care of things, I reached up to pull this jar down.  It’s been on my bathroom shelf since we moved to this home. Continue reading →


28
Jan 13

Encouragement

Most of us,
swimming against the tides of trouble the world knows nothing about,
need only a bit of praise or encouragement –
and we will make the goal.
- Robert Collier

17
Jan 13

On Broken Hearts

“Well,” the Goddess said,
“your heart didn’t heal straight the last time it broke.
So we’ll break it again and reset it so it heals straight this time.”
- Jane Yolen
 
 
 
 
 

*Maybe if we looked at it this way,
a broken heart wouldn’t seem insurmountable.


15
Jan 13

The Jigsaw Puzzle

She was too exhausted to untie the bundle.  He stood next to her and excitedly pulled at the bow that was wrapped tightly around the four corners of the blanket.  His hands were shaking.  He fumbled a bit, but the blanket fell open to reveal the most precious gift.  He gently placed the baby in her arms.  They didn’t notice the green organza bag that fell out of the blanket to the floor. Continue reading →


11
Jan 13

Life Happens In The Ricochet

 

I have the choice of being constantly active and happy
or introspectively passive and sad.
Or I can go mad by ricocheting in between.
- Sylvia Plath
 


9
Jan 13

Who Are You Mad At?

 

Are you mad at the clerk because of her surly attitude, or was she surly because you loudly chatted on your cell the whole time she rang up your groceries? Continue reading →


30
Dec 12

New Growth

Lose weight.

Exercise more – hell – start exercising.

Quit smoking.

Start walking.

Read more.

Watch less TV.

Eat better.  Eat less.  Eat mindfully, or not at all.

Go to the gym or at least sign up at a gym, go to meet a friend and drink coffee by the elliptical machine.

Cut up credit cards.

Get more sleep.

 

What are you fixing?

What do you want to change?

What needs to be eliminated?

What ought to be included?

 

Where do you begin?

 

In the plant world, new growth is supported by existing growth.  The old growth may be trimmed or pruned to make room for the new, but the old is still necessary.

New growth is fed by what comes before.

 

Acknowledge what you have done well.

Appreciate what is already good.

Focus on the steps you’ve taken so far.

Build slowly to create lasting, healthy change.

Add on to the strong foundation you’ve built up to this point.

Keep what is working, prune what doesn’t benefit you, and allow space for new growth.

 

There’s no need to start from scratch.  There’s no need to beat yourself up for missteps.

 

Stop psyching yourself out about the first day of January.  Quit letting the calendar make you feel bad about yourself.

 

Don’t turn healthy changes into a big issue.

 

Incorporate change in small, steady ways – each day.  If today isn’t the day to go to the gym, let that be okay.

 

Take the pressure off of yourself.

 

 

Tonight, after brushing your teeth and reading a couple pages in that self-help book, revisit your day.  Think of the things that have gone well.  Think of what you might do differently tomorrow.

It’s okay.

Keep trying.

Go slow.

Be kind to yourself.

This isn’t a race.

You’ll get there.

 

New growth takes time.

 

 

 

 

 


21
Dec 12

A Good Kind of Christmas

She had hoped he’d walk into the kitchen, smell the Spritz Cookies baking in the oven, warmly greet the kids, and come up behind to wrap her in his arms and whisper, “Merry Christmas, honey.”  Instead, he walked in, grabbed the vacuum and started bumping into their toes as he cleaned up flour dust and cookie sprinkles.  “Daddy, aren’t the cookies pretty?”  He took a few more swipes with the vacuum and said, “Yes, honey, now let’s start cleaning up this mess.” Continue reading →


8
Dec 12

What Do You Choose?

When the ego is forced to choose
between happiness and victimhood,
it will always choose being the victim.
- James Twyman


 

 

A friend sent this quote to me.

I’ve been simmering on this since Wednesday.

What do you think?

What do you choose?