Posts tagged with “wisdom”
6 Simple Things I Do When Life Feels Completely Overwhelming
“You can’t calm the storm, so stop trying. What you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass.” ~Timber Hawkeye
Overwhelm doesn’t always knock politely. Sometimes it crashes into my day like an unexpected storm—suddenly I can’t think straight, and everything feels urgent, impossible, and too loud. One minute I’m fine, the next I’m spiraling in my head, convinced I’m falling behind on everything and failing everyone.
If you’ve ever sat frozen in your car in the grocery store parking lot, staring blankly at a to-do list that now feels like a personal attack, you’re not alone.
Here are …
How Understanding Complex Trauma Deepened My Ability to Love Myself
“Being present for your own life is the most radical act of self-compassion you can offer yourself.” ~Sylvia Boorstein
In 2004, I experienced a powerful breakthrough in understanding what it meant to love myself. I could finally understand that self-love is about the relationship that you have with yourself, and that relationship is expressed in how you speak to yourself, treat yourself, and see yourself. I also understood that self-love is about knowing yourself and paying attention to what you need.
These discoveries, and others, changed my life and led me into a new direction. But as the years …
The Beautiful Losses of a Childhood Moved to the Philippines
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” ~Alan Watts
I must admit, dear reader, that I wasn’t always a fan of change—not even a little. I wouldn’t say I entered this world naturally inclined toward new or unfamiliar things.
Like many children, I found comfort in routine—the joy that comes from ordinary moments repeating themselves. Whether we realize it or not, repetition builds a mental framework that quietly defines our comfort zones.
Maybe that’s where identity begins, slowly shaped over time. And perhaps that’s why, …
The Strength I Found Hidden in Softness
“You can’t heal what you won’t allow yourself to feel.” ~Unknown
I used to act strong all the time. On the outside, I looked like I had it all together. I was competent, composed, and capable. I was the one other people came to for advice or support.
The stickiness was that my version of strength created distance. I couldn’t allow myself to appear weak because I was terrified that if I let myself break down, I wouldn’t be able to pull myself back together.
Maybe underneath it all, I was so fragile I might actually break.
So I held …
Micro-Faith, Huge Benefits: Reasons to Believe in Something Bigger
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” ~Martin Luther King Jr.
My grandmother passed away a few years ago after a long battle with cancer. Even as her health deteriorated, she never lost her spirit. She’d still get excited about whether the Pittsburgh Steelers might finally have a decent season after Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement. She’d debate the Pirates’ chances with the kind of passionate optimism that only comes from decades of loyal disappointment.
But what I remember most are the afternoons she’d spend napping in her favorite chair with my son curled up …
Remembering What Truly Matters in a World Chasing Success
“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” ~Albert Einstein, adapted
I often feel like I was born into the wrong story.
I grew up in a time when success meant something quieter. My father was a public school music teacher. We didn’t have much, but there was a dignity in how he carried himself. He believed in doing good work—not for recognition or wealth, but because it mattered.
That belief shaped me. I became a teacher, filmmaker, and musician. And for decades, I’ve followed a similar path: one rooted in meaning, not money.…
From Loss to Hope: How I Found Joy Again
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” ~Helen Keller
The phone call arrived like a silent explosion, shattering the ordinary hum of a Tuesday morning. My uncle was gone, suddenly, unexpectedly. Just a few months later, before the raw edges of that loss could even begin to soften, my mom followed. Her passing felt like a cruel echo, ripping open wounds that had barely begun to form scabs.
I remember those months as a blur of black clothes, hushed voices, and an aching emptiness that permeated every corner of my life. …
Coming Out at 50: Love, Loss, and Living My Truth
“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” ~Carl Jung
We all had a wild ride during the pandemic, am I right? Mine included falling in love with a woman. At fifty years old.
That’s not something I expected. But isn’t that how life goes?
One day you’re baking sourdough and trying not to touch your face, and the next you’re coming out to the world and losing half your family in the process.
I’d been single for over two decades—twenty-five years of bad dates, some good therapy, and quiet Friday nights. I’d survived abuse, betrayal, …
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