When the best and worst parts of living alone are the same thing — Living alone has its perks. Having the whole place to myself — especially the bed — can feel like a luxury. I can eat the meals I like whenever I want to and play only the music I want to hear. I can be as tidy or as messy as…

When love showed up on my doorstep — My sister recently shared an email with me from a life coach she follows named Ritu. In the email, Ritu writes about reframing our thoughts on love and the different ways it may show up in our lives. She included a quote from Bishop Jakes that went something like this: …

Accepting my life as it is — At the nursing home where my mother-in-law lived, there was a woman named Alice who had dementia. She wandered the halls with a puzzled, worried look on her face and would continually ask, “Where do I go, dear?” We’d always walk her to her room, or at least point her…

Beneath feelings of awkwardness lie the gifts and goodness of me being me — I’m an awkward person. I often respond with a “You, too’’ when the waiter says, “Enjoy your meal.” When we celebrate someone’s birthday at work, I’m the one who coordinates their birthday lunch. The birthday person will thank me and I’ll say, “Thanks for having a birthday.” Really. I say…

I believe people are doing their best with the tools they have — One day, when my son got off the school bus, he was all out of sorts. I don’t remember what the issue was, only that he wasn’t his normal self. …

When a pesky critter reveals a message — Although I choose to be happy, sometimes I find myself in situations that frustrate me. When frustration sets in, sometimes it gets the best of me. It creeps in and steals my happiness. I believe the Divine sends messages all the time. I don't always notice them though because the…

Letting go of the things I can’t control — In my childhood bedroom, a Holly Hobbie plaque with the following message hung over my headboard. “The time to be happy is now.” I didn’t know it then, but that message speaks to living in the present moment. It’s about living in the now. Being happy now. Not ruminating on…

It’s a word that makes me cringe — There’s a four-letter word right now that makes me cringe. The word? Just. Or to be more precise, all the words that often follow the word just. When I lament that I’m weary of waiting for Mr. Right to show up, a friend will say, “Just be patient! “Just put yourself…

It’s so simple, yet not so easy — “I know the purpose of life.” I spoke these words to a guy who I’d been dating for about a month. “You know the purpose of life, eh?” he scoffed. “All the great thinkers and philosophers couldn’t figure it out but you have?!” He then changed the subject. Needless to…