Blog — Musings

This phrase has nestled into my mind.  And steadily, over the weeks since I first read it, it's become a mantra of sorts.  "To feel held and heard."  It's simple and beautiful.  And it haunts me in a way that unlocks many years' worth of emotion. I have a cousin whom I strongly admire.  I always have, since we were little.  She always demonstrated an effortless cool that was at once fascinating and intimidating so, I tended to keep my distance.  In our adulthood we haven't been in much contact but, I do keep up with her goings-on via the...

Over the last several months, as frequent waves of illness swept through my circles of friends, I brewed up variations on a spicy broth that seems to have held it at bay. So, when my husband woke up one day with a sore throat, I offered to make him a cup.  He cast a suspicious eye toward me and asked "what's in it?"  I ran down the list of ingredients and he grimaced, as expected.  But, it was the kind of ominous, back-of-the-throat feeling that portends at least a week of misery so, he quickly relented.  Lo and behold his...

  I have a small favor to ask, a modest request I hereby make of myself and my fellow humans. People really do say some pretty ridiculous things.  It can be infuriating to interact with other minds and so frequently find so little common ground.  But, we can prevent every dose of vitriol from sparking a chain reaction. Next time you're revving up to jump on top of someone for expressing a thought, feeling or opinion, whether that expression occurs on a social media site or anywhere else, take a couple of extra seconds and engage in active listening.  Exercise...

photo by Avery Price   I have a story for you. In early 2012, I realized that my life was entirely unsatisfying. I had come to resent my job, my romantic relationship was way beyond toxic and even my once-cute apartment building was being overrun with vermin.  I was cynical, depressed and the life I had built no longer fit the person I'd become.  It was time to dismantle and start over but, I didn't know how to begin.  I was terrified and my fears were very well-founded: there was no plan, no clear vision of a brighter possible future,...

For the most part, people get tarot readings for a handful of reasons: they're worried about money, they're worried about love or they're worried that somebody, somewhere is out to get them. Of course there are exceptions to these rules ... but not many. I had been doing variations on the same reading for years: "Client A" is bitter, angry and resentful about the fact that despite incredible effort, healthy romantic relationships continue to elude him or her. One - for example - is a successful business woman who takes excellent care of herself. She tells me that her ex-husband...