I have a confession to make. Maybe you can identify. My self-care is taking a hit. I’m not talking about the big things like working out or going to therapy, and I’m not talking about the indulgences we call self-care but don’t really address our true needs or future selves. I’m talking about the little …
How many of us know someone who has been become so ill or injured that they ended up in the hospital for weeks or months, on perhaps no more notice than a few days? With COVID, more folks have become aware of the possibility this could happen close to home, but that’s not the only …
Three things to do before you’re stuck in a hospital Read More »
A fire swept through a converted rowhouse in Philadelphia on Wednesday. A dozen people died, more than half of them children. It’s one of the worst residential fires in living memory, both in Philadelphia and across the United States. We don’t yet know exactly why or how, and with this fresh of a tragedy, that …
We’re just about to the time of year in the US when we start receiving various tax documents, perhaps the largest batch of official paper that we get on a regular basis. It can be hard to keep track of everything that comes in, and there is sometimes a bit of nervousness about making sure …
“What’s your excuse?” It’s a question often asked in bad faith, combatively, in a way that is looking for reasons to pick apart the answer. It’s no surprise that it’s also often received with defensiveness, shame, and anger. Whether it’s about self-defense training, exercising, or some other form of taking care of or improving yourself, …
Beauty is a mysterious thing. We know it when we see it, but most of us can’t when it’s familiar to us and perhaps especially so when it’s closest to home in our own faces and bodies. It’s something I struggle with, and I’m betting many of you do as well. It’s important to learn …
The week between Christmas and New Year’s often seems like a gap in time, a moment when the world collectively holds its breath and takes a break. Many businesses are closed, or people out on vacation. If you are working, you’re often having to deal with more people than usual not working. Everything seems like …
I’m writing this on Winter Solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. For those of us with Seasonal Affective Disorder, and even those of us without, this is the turning point, when the sun begins to stay with us a little longer every day. The dark days are …
In our travels over the holidays and as weather continues to worsen, it’s likely that many of us will see at least one severe car accident. When we come across one, we may feel any combination of sadness and empathy for the folks involved, relief that it’s not us, annoyance at the delay, and an …
In my morning BJJ class this week, my instructor made a comment about judging progress by seeing how well students are able to escape from under someone else’s control or threat of submission. It struck me as especially significant because it gets at the heart of what your goals need to be when you train …
