What I Did During My Pandemic Summer

What I Did During My Pandemic Summer

Remember your first day back in school in late August or early September when your teacher asked you to write an essay entitled. ‘What I did on my summer vacation?” Well, this September, with a pandemic that still continues at a scary pace, we’ll all have a story to share unlike any other. Here’s mine: How I spend my Pandemic Summer Some people shared that during this pandemic they took up a new language, started a kitchen table business, sewed masks, re-designed their websites, volunteered at the local food pantry, caught up reading books, watched old movies, learned to bake sourdough

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Tone Deaf? I’m Listening and Trying

Tone Deaf? I’m Listening and Trying

I’ve tried writing this post a half dozen times. Then something happens in the news, and everything feels inappropriate. Every time I try to write something down, I worry about sounding tone-deaf. But a wordsmith also cannot stay silent. I believe in equal rights and offering everyone a fair chance. I don’t want to see anyone mistreated and I detest racism, bigotry, religious intolerance, gender bias, ageism, sexism and any action or words that denigrate an individual, group or nationality. I haven’t marched in a protest because I am uncomfortable in large crowds and worry about getting sick. I refrain from posting many statements on

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There Is Nothing Wrong With You

There Is Nothing Wrong With You

My Dad used to say with a wink, “there is nothing like a good shtupping to make you feel better.” Well (cringe) he said many inappropriate things with his dirty sense of humor and we just rolled our eyes and groaned. But a little intimacy and pleasure seem like a much better choice than many of the self-help remedies being marketed to people these days, not to mention all the pills and supplements that promise cures and then mention- in small type- dozens of potential side effects. It all starts with the premise: Something is not right in your life.

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I Didn’t Sign Up for This

I Didn't Sign Up for This

Every day I receive dozens of emails from people and businesses I don’t know. I wonder, where did everyone I know go, and who are all these other people? I sign up for newsletters to stay in touch and enter contests to win trips. I sign up for one-time webinars to learn new things. I friend people who seem interesting online. But sometimes it gets to be too much.  One contest submission to win a trip becomes a barrage of notices and ads. One webinar becomes a weekly entreaty to sign up for a class series or purchase coaching sessions. One

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The Four Pillars of Natural Healing- DailyOM CoFounder Madisyn Taylor

The Four Pillars of Natural Healing- DailyOM CoFounder Madisyn Taylor

I am a big fan of the nuggets of inspiration I receive in my inbox from DailyOM. So I was delighted to receive a pitch about its Cofounder, Madisyn Taylor, whose best-selling books include” DailyOM: Inspirational Thoughts for a Happy Healthy and Fulfilling Day,” and “DailyOm: Learning To Live.” Madisyn’s new book is “Unmedicated,” which chronicles her struggle with anxiety and panic attacks from an early age. At one point Madisyn’s doctor told her, “You’re the sickest person I know, and I have no idea what is wrong with you.” Madisyn discusses how she weaned herself off prescription medications that were doing more harm than good

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Finding Inspiration in the Face of Challenge

Finding Inspiration in the Face of Challenge

Almost weekly I’m pitched stories of inspiration from women who have experienced life altering challenges. They have faced near death, disease, loss of income and security, loss of a loved one and physical and/or emotional abuse. What they all have in common is that, despite being whacked down to their knees, these women did not lose their will or spirit. They may waiver but they never give up. Here are their lessons I share with you: It’s good to walk away from something that is harmful or that no longer serves your purpose. But you cannot run away from the challenge ahead. You have to

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The Power of One- Clear Your Mind with These Tips

The Power of One- Clear Your Mind with These Tips

Research has shown that women are better multi-taskers than men. Human Physiology reported that “men require more brainpower than women when multi-tasking.” I’m not surprised by this. I seem to focus better when I have more to do than less. But what dogs me is concentrating on just one thing for a period of time. My mind drifts. It’s like my brain needs to be in overdrive to thrive. But that doesn’t feel healthy. Have you felt that way? Maybe it’s time to downsize to energize your mind. These days we live with countless distractions which diminish our ability to focus. Technology in

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Brave Is the New Beautiful

I believe the most beautiful women are the ones who are brave. These are women who are confident in their bodies, cool under pressure and kind to others. They face fear calmly, deal with setbacks as deftly as they can, avoid the pity party and pay it forward. Brave girls focus on self actualization not self criticism. They may step out of their comfort zone but know when to lean in for help and when to lend a hand to offer help. Brave girls respect others and treat them with kindness even when others are less kind to them. They put on a strong front even

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It’s Time to Draw the Line About Crossing the Line

It’s Time to Draw the Line About Crossing the Line

It was a sunny day on the tennis court that summer, and more than the weather was heating up. We were coming to the end of the set. My ball hit the net. We both went up to retrieve it. As we lifted our heads our eyes locked. His were deep blue, and they stared at me intently. He reached over the net and grabbed the back of my neck and started to kiss me. My heart raced. Sound romantic? It wasn’t. The man was my direct boss at the public relations agency where we worked, and he had crossed

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Piece of Mind vs. Peace of Mind

Piece of Mind vs. Peace of Mind

I have learned that more people love to talk than listen. Between the pundits, politicians, experts and social posters on the internet, everyone’s talking and expressing an opinion. But how many are really tuned in and listening? These past few weeks I turned down the “noise” to address some personal matters that meant more to me than what people thought and said. I found it rather peaceful. No anxiety from the news and less time wasted scrolling through umpteen posts. I was able to have real conversations with people in person and by phone rather than just abrupt texts. For years I was a

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Fearless Fabulous You!  The Show Must Go On

Fearless Fabulous You!  The Show Must Go On

I wrote this watching the Tony Awards. It was a joyful night of celebrating amazing live theater. Sadly, a real-life tragedy played out in Orlando, Florida, less than 24 hours earlier, marking another black spot in America’s history. We ask “Why does this happen?” But there is no suitable answer. We ask “How can we continue to let this happen?” But there is no suitable answer. We ask “When is it going to stop?” But there is no suitable answer. What we do know is the show must go on. Bad things happen. But we must not let them stop

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