Personal Growth Archives

I had this blog almost ready to send Wednesday morning. It started like this: “I choose hope in 2021, in spite of everything that could still go wrong—COVID, political turmoil, record snowstorms like we had here in upstate NY last week, failing to get a book deal.” Had I sent it, I would have felt foolish. That afternoon, watching the siege of the US Capital unfold, my hope was overpowered by fear and bewilderment. Yet hope still chooses me.

Living life large seems to be what society values. Why didn’t it feel right for me?

Sometimes, what looks like conflict-aversion is really a choice to be kind.

Holding others accountable is hard for people-pleasers because it involves confrontation, which carries the risk of rejection. It’s less scary to pretend negative things don’t happen.

Pandemic Brain is like a pinball machine. When I realized that was what was going on, I already felt better. Funny how naming a problem can do that.

Vulnerability: Messy kitchen with spilled coffee

A recent coffee flood and ego-boosting news from the New York Times tie together many threads.

So what am I gonna do about racism? That’s the question we’re all asking ourselves, isn’t it?

Post-traumatic growth: a dark tunnel with a light at the end

I’ve been thinking about that phrase, “The light at the end of the tunnel.” At this stage of the pandemic, I can still see the light, but it feels like this damn tunnel keeps getting longer and longer.

I had alluded to a sixth stage of grief last week, but I didn’t want to get into it, as I thought my blog was already too long. I didn’t want to lose you. Sadly, I did lose someone.