“Broken hearted often leads to broken open. And broken open is the perfect environment for finding out who you are and why you’re here. Break and grow.” – Michele Woodward On September 16, 2007, emergency open heart surgery saved my life. I didn’t have clogged arteries or heart disease. I had a myxoma, a very rare benign tumor that was almost...
Read MoreHow To Choose When the Choices Aren’t Clear
I’ve been struggling these past few weeks, not knowing if I should stay in Arizona longer or head back to the beach. Unlike previous returns to CA, this time I didn’t have a clear reason for going back, besides the fact that it’s the beach and I can walk and breathe and I love the climate. But I had lots of reasons to stay – to help Marika oversee...
Read MoreWherever You Are Is Where You Begin
Wherever you are is where you begin. Right here. Right now. Never mind how you’ve tried it before, done it before, been there before. You are here. Now. Standing in this present moment. While this may be an easy concept to accept abstractly, it is not as easy to embrace when we are attempting to do something we used to be so good at. I used to...
Read MorePermission to Dream
I had dinner the other night with a friend who, for several years, and many reasons, has stayed in an unfulfilling marriage. But now, she is taking the steps toward divorce. While she knows it is the best choice for her, she is freaking out about the future. How will she support herself? How is she going to live? What will her life be like if she is not...
Read MoreA Weekend in the Pines
Marika, Mabel and I spent last weekend at a friend’s cabin out of the heat of the desert. What a gift to drive two short hours north and be surrounded by tall, sweet pines, where the daytime temperature peaks in the mid-80’s and at night, it’s cool enough, with the windows open, to pull a blanket over my shoulders. We arrived in the dark on Friday night,...
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