Life Is For Deep Kisses, Strange Adventures…
5 Practices That Helped Me Reclaim My Spark for Life
“Sometimes what you’re most afraid of doing is the very thing that will set you free.” ~Robert Tew
In 2014, I was drowning in unhappiness. I had moved to Palestine five years earlier, later met my husband, and decided to remain in one of the most conflicted countries in the world.
There I was, living in a different country far from the comforts of home that I had always known. My marriage was rife with conflict and pain, and I had nobody to turn to.
I had no family nearby, and with the high turnover of internationals in the country, …
5 Ways to Calm Your Mind When You’re Exhausted (Without Meditation)
“Calm your mind. Life becomes much easier when you keep your mind at peace.” ~Unknown
Let me start with a confession.
If I’m honest with you, even just writing these words actually makes me feel kind of uncomfortable.
But I’m going to say it because it’s true, and some of you reading this are going to realize that on some level you probably share the same feeling.
I hate meditation.
Now, let me do the obligatory defend-the-shocking-thing-I-just-said.
I mean, to be more specific, some days I hate meditation.
Most of the time, I love it. I really love it. …
Letting Go of the Victim Label: The Past Will Not Define Me
TRIGGER WARNING: This post deals with an account of domestic violence and sexual abuse, and may be triggering to some people.
“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” ~Unknown
It wasn’t long ago that I lived my life as a professional victim.
It wasn’t intentional, but somewhere along the way I had internalized the fact that my victimhood gave me an excuse to remain stuck. As long as I was a victim, I had a reason to wallow in sadness and self-pity, a reason to not move forward, and sympathy …
Why I’ve Upgraded to a Drama-Free Relationship
“Love is not what you say. Love is what you do.” ~Unknown
I used to think that true love should be passionate and intense. When someone broke up with me or treated me poorly, I’d imagine that he really didn’t mean it. Surely he was really a good person and truly loved me, but was just “going through something” or “needed space.” Eventually he’d be back with tears, apologies, and flowers.
I’d like to say I outgrew this tendency by the age of, well, maybe forty, but the fact is I didn’t.
Instead, I carried a torch for a recently …
Why Trying to Feel Good Can Make You Feel Bad
“The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.” ~Paulo Coelho
We’re bombarded by images of people living apparently perfect lives. They suffer no bereavements or breakups or losses or failures. They look perfect, make perfect choices, and act perfect.
Everyone seems to love them as they sail from success to success, with zero misfortunes, mistakes, or regrets.
So, it’s easy to believe that we, too, need to be perfect.
I had a simple definition of success when I was younger. It was whatever made others admire, or at least accept me.…
What to Do If You’re Not Passionate About Anything
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” ~Unknown
I’ve always believed in the benefits of having a healthy, strong body.
I admit, as a young adult my healthiness was driven predominantly by fear. Fear of being fat. Fear of being sick. Fear of missing out at events (aka FOMO).
So, I went to the gym, I ran, I dieted, I had strict rules, and if I followed them I’d be okay… or so believed.
From my daughter’s perspective, I wasn’t much fun to live with. She …
How to Stop the War in Your Head and Find Peace
“A mind at peace does not engender wars.” ~Sophocles
There’s a classic Buddhist story about two monks who come upon a woman at the edge of a river. One of the monks carries her across and they continue on their way. Several miles on, the other monk turns to the first and says, “How could you do that? We have made vows never to touch a woman!” The first looks serenely at him. “Are you still carrying her? I set her down at the edge of the river.”
This is exactly what our minds do, if we aren’t careful: We …
Radical Acceptance with Tara Brach: If You’re Hard on Yourself, Read On
Have you ever thought, “Something’s wrong with me”? I suspect we all have at one time or another.
We’ve thought we’re too quiet, too loud, too eager, too lazy, too sensitive, too dramatic, or generally not good enough.
And social media doesn’t help much. Every time we log on to Facebook or Instagram we’re bombarded with everyone else’s accomplishments, adventures, and best angles, which can easily lead us to conclude our life is somehow lacking—that we are somehow lacking.
From there, it’s just a quick leap to self-flagellation.
We can all be our own harshest critics. We can beat ourselves …
The Difference Between Letting Go and Running Away
“It’s about our ability to leave our death on the battlefield of life. Or having the strength and courage to give them our love and to bring them back.” ~Edward Frenkel
It took me almost twenty years to realize that running away from ourselves isn’t the same as letting go. That realization, as with so many others, came at a time when I was at one of my lowest points.
The day everything changed began as one of the worst of my life.
I was struggling with the breakup of a long-term relationship. We’d been due to move in together …
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