The pleasure, pain and growth of human connection.
I have had two radical belief changes in the last few years. One: I now believe our long term relationships shape our personality and temperament more than introverted or extroverted innate traits. Two: I used to believe I needed alone time to recharge and be at my best. I have recently seen and felt myself most [...]
With Thanksgiving last week, I've been reflecting on what I am grateful for this year. To be honest, it's been a long, somewhat arduous year. I hate to say that because I got married this year. Marriage is a joyful event, right? Yes, in many ways. I am truly happy to be married to Mark. He [...]
I have never run a marathon but I have hosted many Thanksgiving dinners. Yesterday was the biggest Thanksgiving dinner I've ever hosted, 24 people. Like a marathon, T-day prep starts way before the actual day. The invites go out weeks in advance. The food purchases start the week before. The smaller details like [...]
I listened to author and psycho therapist, Esther Perel, talk about affairs on a podcast the other day. She said in affairs people don't turn away from their partners they turn away from who they (themselves) have become. Esther Perel Esther Perel said when people cheat on their partners, they often say, "I feel so [...]
Last week I wrote about avoiding or approaching difficult situations and relationships. I spoke of how we all sometimes avoid challenges by: leaving, going silent, diving into distractions (technology/work/television, etc.) or using drugs and alcohol. This week I want to talk about how to approach the things that scare us. Fortify first First, let's prepare by [...]
Often the easy way out is to avoid something hard. We all have moments of weakness when we opt for that path. We also have moments of courage when we move toward a difficult situation or conversation. In my experiences of parenting, marriage, coaching, writing, working within the juvenile justice system and as a special education [...]
