The Comparison Trap By blogIf you are like most women, you spend way too much time comparing yourselves to others, wishing you were young-er, smart-er, pretty-er, thin-er, creative-er, rich-er, and the list goes on and on. Instead of embracing your own unique gifts, you covet those of your friends or co-workers. Instead of loving who you are, you allow your shameless self-critic to sabotage your thoughts with “you’re not good enough,” and “you need to be more, do more, appear more and give more.”
Camp Reunion in Paradise By blogNew Hampshire in the summer. Wolfeboro, on Lake Winnipesaukee to be exact. Picture if you will a pristine setting of pines and large granite boulders along the edge of a lake that is so clear you can see the white sand bottom until you run out of sunlight. It has 228 islands, it is 182 miles around the lake but only 63 miles if driving. The road cuts out a lot of coves and peninsulas. And it is 20.8 miles long and at the widest 9 miles. The surface area is 72 square miles. Found in the central part of New Hampshire, the lake is about 504 feet above sea level.
Why Our Minds Are Velcro for the Bad, but Teflon for the Good By blogMost everyone has at least one traumatic memory embedded in their brains. One that still resonates for me was the time my mother left me alone when I was six years old to take the baby sitter home. When I looked apprehensive, she told me not to worry. “I’ll be right back,” she said smiling brightly and drove off. As it got dark I became more and more frightened that something had happened to her and she wasn’t coming back. By the time she returned I was totally terrified. She found me standing outside wailing. She scolded me and took me inside.
Menopause: Trigger for the Boomer Generation’s Encore Career By blogSeems like when you’re raising kids or climbing the career ladder, it’s all about checking off ‘to do’ lists. Constant activity, travel, ballgames and baby-sitters can make your head spin. Suddenly, you’re done. The kids leave the nest; your career is winding down, leaving you to wonder, what’s next?
Wise Words By blogToday I met with Tim’s doctor from Hospice. She has agreed to read my second book, “Life After Death on This Side of Heaven.” My hope is that she will write a blurb for the back of the book, or even better, write the foreword. She is an amazing doctor, her experience lies with helping to usher people into the next life, and like me, she has lost her husband.
Why Did the Robin Williams News Hit So Many So Hard? By blogWe hear of celebrity deaths frequently. Old favorites die of old age, new favorites may die of drug overdoses, illness, or in accidents. There are also suicides sometimes. The news of the deaths makes the rounds, now much more quickly than ever because of the Internet. We see retrospectives of the celebrities’ work, people comment on beloved scenes or events, and then we move on.
Can A Person Ever Be Fully Prepared to Care for Someone with Alzheimer's? By blogEarlier this year, I attended a caregivers conference at the University of Minnesota. The morning keynote speaker was absolutely terrific — an engaging, informed speaker who was also funny and self-deprecating.
Do It By blogFear is the thief of happiness and sometimes we have to get the courage to Just Do It.Ever since her first seizure many years ago a close relative held onto the dream of the medical world finding a cure. She has patiently gone through countless procedures and medications and before going into the operating room for what she prays will be the answer, she hugged her mother and admitted her fear. But, bravely, she was doing it.Time will tell if this was the cure, but she’s not worried as she moves on with life in her positive and cheerful way.
Rectangular Salmon By blogYou know your life is busy when your dinner preparation consists of taking out a frost-covered package of frozen salmon wedged deep in your freezer…cracking it open, and placing the two perfectly rectangular frozen chunks (frozen together, of course) on a baking pan. I actually admit I did this last week, and let me tell you a little something about rectangular salmon…It isn’t good.
Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys By blogThis is the ninth blog in a series. To read the earlier entries, click here: Archive: The ThirdAge Romance Saga of Sally Franz.I just heard this phrase: “Not My Circus, Not my Monkeys”. It is purportedly translated from an old Polish saying. And it has become so popular you can buy T-shirts with the saying plastered across the front. I wish I could buy one for every stepparent alive.
5 Surprising Reasons a Good Relationship Is the Best Stress Reliever in the World By blogThe stress response was our secret weapon for success through most of human history. It saved our lives, making us run from predators and enabling us to take down prey. The problem is that we are no longer responding to a wild animal attack that might occur once every six months, but instead we are dealing with hundreds of stresses every day. Human beings are turning on the same life-saving physical reaction to cope with aging parents, unhappy teenagers, costly gasoline, increasing food prices, traffic jams, and job insecurity.
How to Achieve Long-Term Love By blog “When your heart speaks, take good notes” Joseph CampbellMany of us don’t believe in love because of our experiences with what seems to be a great love at the beginning, which inevitably turned into a difficult and contentious relationship. Is there a way to tell if someone is likely to be a compatible long-term partner?One answer was found by interviewing hundreds of long-married couples about what works and what doesn’t for a long and satisfying relationship. They said the most straightforward answer to long-term love is basic similarities.
Pay It Forward with Random Acts of Kindness By blogA couple of weeks ago, I walked into my office after a long morning meeting and found my favorite cup of coffee waiting for me by my computer. It was perfect timing, and such an unexpected treat! This small gesture had just made my day so much brighter. If you have complicated grief, seek treatment. It can help you come to terms with your loss and reclaim a sense of acceptance and peace.
The Mini-Cog, A Memory Assessment Tool By blogHave you heard of the “Mini-Cog”? I had read about it several years ago but a recent front page feature in the Star Tribune, our major daily newspaper in the Twin Cities, piqued my interest. The story focused on Dr. Michael Rosenbloom, clinical director of the HealthPartners Center for Memory and Aging, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Rosenbloom and his colleagues believe that primary-care physicians are frequently missing signs of cognitive issues in their age 55 and over patients. Instead of relying solely on observation and a short conversation during patient appointments, Dr.
Five Trials Are Targeting Alzheimer's By blogRecently I noticed a tweet from TIME magazine about some new research trials focusing on Alzheimer’s disease. Intrigued, I visited their website to learn more.The headline - “5 Groundbreaking Drugs are Testing Ways to Prevent Alzheimer’s - is what caught my attention. I love the words “groundbreaking” and “prevent” — especially when they are used in connection with Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia.
Blended By blogAre you an Adam Sandler fan? We are all fans here in our house. One year for Christmas, [my late husband] Tim got me every Adam Sandler movie he had made so far. I love most of his stuff, but I don’t really ever buy videos because I keep things simple when I can. I appreciated the thoughtful gesture, though. My favorite duo is Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.
Simple Minded By blogThis is the seventh blog in a series. To read the earlier entries, click here: Archive: The ThirdAge Romance Saga of Sally Franz.The great thing about living in a place that is a vacation destination is that everyone finally wants to come visit me. Not so when I lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma or Tarboro, NC. Not saying those places don't have their peculiar charm, but living next to a national park trumps azaleas and magnolias (in 104 degree heat) big time.
How To Live Your Life: 10 Tips from My Mother By blogI call my mom at least once a day. Today we talked about buying a scrabble app for her computer. Ninety- two years old and my mother is going to play scrabble on her Mac! How fabulous is this mother of mine! I would normally go on to my next activity, but with a broken ankle I have time to reflect about this mother of mine and her sage advice dripping with wisdom and values for women of all ages. Grandmothers, mothers, and daughters will gain from reading this.My mother’s 10 tips on how to live your life: