You’ve been together – oh, it seems like forever. Anywhere from six months to umpteen years. And somewhere along the line you’ve developed the Evil Eye.
You know the one. That critical look you cast on your Sweetheart, that has little sweet in it and even less heart, the look that says “How ... Views: 4077
You cope pretty darn well with the crises and emergencies of life. Somehow you get through them, over them, and get on with life.
But then there are things that aren’t crises, yet somehow manage to irritate, annoy or aggravate you every time you bump into them. Things you don’t get over ... Views: 3245
You’ve tried. You really have. You loved this man, you believed he truly was your “happily-ever-after.” You wanted this to be THE relationship of your life. When things started going downhill, you read all the self-help articles, more books than you can count, went to couples counseling ... Views: 2827
You’re up for that job that could be a career changer--you’re scared! What if you flub the final interview, what if you say something really stupid, what if the CEO hates your hair?
You’re dating a special someone you really like. You can feel yourself falling for him/her, big-time--you’re ... Views: 2567
The courtroom is hot. The lawyer drones on and on. The jurors are bored. The judge is bored. His Honor’s gaze strays over to the jurors. One juror seems relatively awake. That’s because said juror is texting one-handed, surreptitiously, down by his knee. But his interested expression gives him ... Views: 2208
You storm into the living room, where your honey sits hunched over his laptop, TV blasting, after-work-beer close at hand. “What’s this?!” you exclaim, waving a magazine at him. “Huh?” Honey replies. You grab the remote, power the TV off with a jerk. You tap your foot. You glare. He sees the ... Views: 2175
Remember the slogan “Practice random acts of kindness”? It’s been around for a long time—all the way back to 1982 or so. More often than not, it was dismissed by most folks as a cute New Age aphorism and has largely been forgotten in the years since. Certainly in our hurried, harried ... Views: 2075
You moan, you groan. Your manager has called one of his infamous “team-building” meetings, and it’s only the threat of getting fired that propels your butt out of your chair and into the meeting. What a waste! Sitting around doing departmental Kumbaya when you have piles of work marked “Urgent!” ... Views: 2060
You know how you can be going along in a conversation with a friend or a loved one, and it all seems to be good, and suddenly, you say something and the conversation stalls or stops entirely. And you’re thinking “What happened?” You didn’t say anything insulting or mean, you just voiced your ... Views: 2025
What if you made this Valentine’s Day more than a day about hearts and flowers? What if you made this Valentine’s Day about expanding your love, taking it beyond whatever wonderfulness you now experience to something even more amazing?
It’s doable, you know. And all it takes is giving your ... Views: 1991
You bury your head in your hands. You’d really like to run screaming from your cubicle, but for one, that would get you instantly fired, for two, your shoes are definitely not made for running. But the stress! Not only does your job stress you out, but there’s your family, friends, chores, ... Views: 1935
Your one-and-only isn’t behaving his one-and-only self lately. He’s distracted, spends more time at work, on the Internet, everywhere but with you. He’s not that interested in being intimate – oh, he joins in just fine if you make the moves, but he’s not initiating things. You hear “yes, dear” ... Views: 1924
No, not “I don’t care about you” – that would be awful! Just “I don’t care.” By itself. As in “I don’t care that you left your socks on the floor.” “I don’t care that you over/under-tipped the server.” “I don’t care that you were five minutes late.”
Because here’s the thing: nothing kills ... Views: 1847
Your husband wakes up grumpy, stumbles to the bathroom, glances at your reflection next to his in the mirror, and says “What’s wrong with your hair?” You glare: “I slept on it funny. Good morning to you too.”
Strike one against husband: “Why do you have to be so unpleasant first ... Views: 1828
Being angry and frustrated at work is its own special brand of misery. Why? Because you can’t lash out at the co-worker or manager or VP that is driving you nuts without risking the loss of your job. Whereas at home, you can probably get plenty angry at your teenager, your spouse, or your ... Views: 1780
Harried, bedraggled, already late for work, you do your best to be patient as your kids scramble out of the car juggling school backpacks and soccer gear, when your youngest pipes up “Where’s my lunch?” Oh, shoot. In the fridge, that’s where his lunch is. You root in your purse, grab some bills ... Views: 1694
The alarm rings. Too early, much too early. A whole hour early. You know you should get up. You promised yourself you’d start working out. Today’s the day! Huzzah! Yesterday it seemed like such a great idea. You even set out your gym gear, ready to get going first thing.
Groan. Aargh! You ... Views: 1672
Those who are fortunate enough to have a job in these tough economic times are often working longer hours and carrying the workload normally done by two or more workers. The holiday season is the perfect time for employers to show their employers they appreciate their efforts. Appreciation ... Views: 1633
Recently, I adopted a rescue dog - a one year old German Shepherd - and as is true of most rescue dogs, he was an anxious, insecure puppy. Nonetheless, as I stood in front of him and gently petted his head, I was surprised when he cringed and backed away. Then I remembered that his experience ... Views: 1596
My German Shepherd-mix rescue pup, Baer, is a great dog. He’s all legs and energy, so sometimes I think of him as Fred Astaire, and sometimes more as the Energizer Bunny on steroids. Especially near mealtimes.
I feed my dogs twice a day, and I’m convinced they have clocks in their stomachs, ... Views: 1578
Ever notice the list of “have-to’s” you’ve got going? As in ‘have-to’ get up and get yourself going, ‘have-to’ get everybody fed-dressed-out-the-door, ‘have-to’ get to work, ‘have-to’ do the work, ‘have-to’ put up with a boss/co-worker/client you can’t stand, ‘have-to’ run the errands, do the ... Views: 1575
One of my dogs, Kobe, has epilepsy. It’s very well controlled with--of all things--Chinese herbs, but when there’s a major stressor, Kobe may be wracked with seizures. In his world, mercifully, there are few major stressors, but one of them is--thunder.
We had a major storm in California last ... Views: 1572
You made up. The argument is long over; life with your sweetheart is back to normal. Except for that little nagging thought that keeps running through your brain, with the determined persistence of a hamster on a treadmill: “How could he/she do that? How could he/she say that about me in front ... Views: 1567
I’m endlessly fascinated by children in airports. As I sit, waiting patiently (sort of) at the gate for my flight, I watch children – in particular the 3 to 5 year olds – run, stumble, and climb over, through, and around anything stationary: people, suitcases, seats, recycling bins. They won’t ... Views: 1545
Ever have one of those “Yeah, but” conversations? Your friend has lost her job. Being the supportive friend that you are, you say:
“Hey, you’ve got tons of skills. All you need to do is revamp your resume, and you’ll be hired in no time.”
“Yeah, but the economy sucks. It’s gonna take ... Views: 1537
You’ve made your list, you’ve checked it twice. Oh, no, not that list – I’m talking about the list you’ve made of the 1022 ½ things you need to get done for the Holidays, everything from the perfect gift for Cousin Henry, to the perfect surprise for your sweetheart, to the perfect outfit for ... Views: 1530
It’s been a rough year for many of us. Our country, as well as many others across the globe, has been ravaged by fierce political and social divides, unprecedented mass violence, and natural disasters from fires to hurricanes with the unfortunate promise of more to come.
As the Holidays roll ... Views: 1526
The dog ate the cord to your laptop battery, which fortunately wasn’t plugged in at the time--who knows how many volts run through those things, your dog could have been twitching for hours--but meanwhile, you’re without your computer.
You have an important presentation at work in a couple of ... Views: 1524
We’re great at giving our very best in the hard moments, the crises. We pull out all the stops to save a loved one’s life, rescue a child from a burning building, salvage our marriages on the brink of divorce. We are truly, then, the shining example of what a human being is capable of.
But ... Views: 1513
A friend introduced me recently to the wide wonderful world of Geocaching. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, Geocaching, according to Wikipedia, is: “…an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other ... Views: 1511
The recent “Longevity Issue” of Time Magazine held great promise—an entire issue devoted to the joy of longevity, how great! Then I read the very first article title on the cover: “The Alzheimer’s Pill: A radical new drug that could change old age.” My heart sank. My excitement vanished. Once ... Views: 1501
You love your extended family, you really do, and the thought of all those aunts and uncles, in-laws and parents, cousins and various spouses and children warms your heart.
Until it’s time for them to descend on your home for Thanksgiving.
Even if it’s just a parent or solitary in-law or ... Views: 1499
If ever there was a miserable day, this is it: your six year old threw a tantrum because her favorite socks have a hole in them, your SO forgot about an early meeting, so you had to take the kids to school rushing all the way, hair still damp from your shower because who had time to dry it, much ... Views: 1491
I heard the sirens behind me before I saw the flashing lights of an ambulance, followed closely by a fire truck. Like everyone else on the roadway, I looked around trying to figure out where the ambulance was heading, and as soon as I saw the lights, eased my car over to the right side of the ... Views: 1486
Losing is painful. It doesn’t matter what - a job, a promotion, your health, a lover, a spouse - it’s painful. Sure, the pain is greater, the greater the loss, but whenever we lose something, we feel it deeply.
A friend of mine, a trial lawyer by trade, recently lost a big case. He’s not in ... Views: 1480
Atlanta’s Homeward Choir, a group of 26 homeless men from Atlanta’s Central Night Shelter, was invited to sing at the White House in December of 2015. When the group got the invitation--and how that came about is a wonderful story --among the many questions the choir members asked of their ... Views: 1468
Life on planet Earth is riddled with problems. Little problems, big problems, we all have them, pretty much every day.
But what matters isn’t the problem, it’s the solution! And oh, how easy it is to lose sight of that. My phones went down a couple of months ago. Since we don't get cell ... Views: 1467
When you look in the mirror, what do you see? That you’re too short, too tall, too fat, too skinny? That you somehow grew a pimple overnight, or a new set of crows feet, or maybe it’s time to go shaved-head considering that ever-expanding bald spot?
Or do you see your wonderful smile, the ... Views: 1465
Caesar, not as in “Caesar’s Palace” in Las Vegas, but Caesar, as in Julius Caesar, the man, was truly an amazing individual. If he were alive today, I sincerely believe he’d be the most successful man on the planet, for one simple reason: the dude had incredible follow-through. Whatever he ... Views: 1452
The holidays are just about over, your decorations are slowly making their way back into storage boxes, the euphoria of gift-giving and receiving has given way to the mundane “Here we go, another year” where you still have to make a living or figure out how to make it through the next month, ... Views: 1452
Traveling through Burma (aka Myanmar) recently--a fascinating country, known as “The Golden Land” because of the tens of thousands of pagodas gleaming with gold-leaf covered spires—I learned about the different ways Buddhism is practiced there. Oh, the essential aspects of Burmese Buddhism are ... Views: 1451
Thanksgiving is almost here - that time of year when “get your gratitude on!” is the game of the day. And indeed, you do have your gratitude well in gear.
You are ready to express your gratefulness for your family, your friends, your job (maybe, could be a stretch), Pilates, football, the ... Views: 1450
You know your usual litany of New Year’s resolutions: “This year I’m gonna lose 5 – 10 -50 pounds. This year I swear I’ll get to the gym at least twice a week. This year I absolutely positively will not spend past my credit limit. This year I swear I’ll never have another ginger Martini (given ... Views: 1449
As a peace-loving Libra, I’m always looking for ways to minimize conflict, ways for us to get along better, regardless of our differences.
So I was quite taken with a post a friend forwarded to me: “Explain your anger, don’t express it, and you will immediately open the door to solutions ... Views: 1447
Ever had a case of the “if onlys”? You know, as in; “If only I’d gotten that job,” “If only that guy/gal hadn’t broken up with me,” “If only I hadn’t been passed over for that promotion,” “If only I’d won the lottery!” “If only I had more talent,” and so on.
Unfortunately, once you get ... Views: 1445
I went to the movies recently with a friend. It was billed as an action comedy and I was looking forward to some good laughs. What I hadn’t realized is that the movie was 90% action and 10% comedy. Oh, the comedy was great! We’re talking LOL rolling in the aisles funny--and the action was just ... Views: 1442
You want to know what’s the single biggest obstacle in the way of your doing pretty much anything? It’s not your boss, your mate, the economy, your kids, your mother, or whatever else is your “why-I-can’t-be/do/have it” mantra, it’s that thing you keep repeating to yourself over and ... Views: 1437
Summer blockbusters are full of Masters of the Universe—Superheroes/heroines, Emperors and Kings—in righteous battle. And, when someone storms your castle – be that of your thoughts, your actions, your behavior—don’t you defend it with all your might? “You’re wrong!” “You messed up, not me!” “I ... Views: 1435
Despite how it appears on the 24-hour news channels, domestic violence is not likely to be any more prevalent between professional athletes and their partners as in relationships in other segments of society.
Domestic violence can happen to anyone at any time and does not respect age, gender, ... Views: 1428
Babies smile - a lot. Beauty queens smile - on cue. Winners smile – most of the time, in between all that jumping and high-fiving. Smiles are a way of expressing our happiness, our joy, our pride, our gratitude.
More than that, smiles are a way of connecting, of saying – without words – I’m ... Views: 1420