It is so much easier to give other people advice than to take our own. Sometimes we can get stuck in our own head, repeating the same ruminations over and over without reaching a helpful resolution – and cutting ourselves down in the process. This often...
Would you rather have a pause or rewind button in your life?Our family has a big book of these “would you rather” questions that we use to spark conversation on long car rides. This question came up as we drove to the airport for a...
While looking for a new mop at Target, I stood near a pregnant woman who was carefully examining the selection of dish scrubbing brushes. Another woman turned her cart into the aisle. Her two small children sat side by side in the front of the...
Did you know that sea otters hold paws while they sleep so they don’t drift apart? They float on their backs with their little flippers raised out of the water and their paws tightly connected. This behavior, termed “rafting,” is natural otter behavior when they...
In a children’s story I often read to the girls, Toad decides he would like a garden full of beautiful flowers. He plants seeds and paces impatiently, waiting for them to grow. With mounting frustration, he begins shouting, “Now seeds, start growing!” His friend Frog...
As a supplement to their at-home academic learning, the girls have been working on their cooking skills. They often make their own snacks and lunches during their breaks from online school. Yesterday, Ella decided to make some oatmeal for lunch. If you have made slow-cooking oatmeal on...
Someone recently told me they think about mindfulness as a way of choosing who you want to be right now. What a beautifully simple and profound description. When faced with difficult situations, it is easy to let our emotions run the show. We may not pause to think about how we...
Recently a sheep was found wandering the Australian bushland. He didn’t look much like a sheep at all, but rather a gigantic ball of wool with a tiny nose and legs sticking out. The construction worker who found him knew at once the sheep was...
A few weeks ago, my friend Amy was not feeling well. She was curled up on her couch, her body weak and uncomfortable. Her black poodle, Teddy, walked over and gently sat on the floor next to where she was on the couch. His face...
There’s a classic video known as “The Soccer Player” that trainers often show in motivational interviewing workshops. In the video, a middle-aged man is starting to play soccer again and realizes his smoking and alcohol use are getting in the way. As he explores ideas for...