The Neighborhood

I am unusual among my friends in that I live close to the place I call home and enjoy spending time with my biological family. My parents still live in the house I grew up in on a block where we knew everyone and the kids streamed in and out of each others homes. We don’t see a lot of that in our neighborhoods these days. In many places it’s rare to know our neighbors. On a block of six houses, I’m only on friendly...

Threshold Birthdays – Just Another Day?

  Even though in reality it’s just another day, it can be unsettling when we mark the passage from an age that ends with 9 to the next that ends with 0. Sometimes it’s exciting. Other times, not so much. If not attended to well, these transitions can be a minefield of self-criticism and shoulda, coulda, woulda: have done more, be somewhere else, have more to show, be over this (fill in the blank).   It...

Into the Well

The words Women at the Well came to me as a whisper. I accepted gratefully as they danced their way into the title of a new program I was noodling on. Re-entering the world of work from cancer treatment, I was following an inner call to create a nurturing experience for women away from the demands and pressures of their lives – an opportunity to remember the good, true, and beautiful in our nature. Sometimes we get...

Sharing Beauty

  Walking into the park in the early morning I came upon three Japanese visitors on their way out. Beaming smiles they kept repeating in heavily accented English: “beautiful, beautiful, beautiful” while pointing over toward a long row of tall bushes. Looking closer in the direction they were pointing I saw three deer munching their breakfast – two young bucks and a fawn. The visitors were giddy they were so...

Investing in Our Inner Life

We spend a lot of time and money developing skills to stay relevant and competitive in the work we do – learning new technologies, broadening our knowledge base, and staying connected in an increasingly virtual world. As a consultant and coach in change leadership and team development, I’ve done countless programs on leadership, facilitation, conflict resolution, learning styles, designing for engagement, and...

Loving Good Enough, Part 2

I’ve been reflecting more about perfectionism and busyness since my last post. Perfectionism is how we protect against the unwanted, unexpected, and uncomfortable that we don’t want to deal with or are afraid of. I will be safe and all will be well if everything in my life is planned, rehearsed, and in its proper place. If I follow the advice of the status quo, I cannot be blamed for mistakes. If I don’t stand out...

Go Back to 1st

  My daughter is learning to drive a stick shift.  Remember that?  That hair-rising time while you’re learning to choreograph two feet and three pedals certain that you’re never going to get it. Experiencing the terror of stalling out on a hill with a line of cars behind you all in a hurry to get someplace. The important thing about driving a stick is learning what to do when you stall out. Make no mistake...

Busting the Myth of Creativity

Jonah Lehrer was interviewed by Michael Krasny today on KQED Forum about his new book, Imagine: How Creativity Works.  Lehrer is a science writer by trade who has turned his attention to the intersection of brain science and creativity. He offers a feast of research busting the myth that creativity is rare and possessed by the gifted few.  Nice to know that science has caught up with what we already know to be...

Look Up. Look Down. Look All Around.

It’s confession time.  Occasionally when there is something tasty in the fridge that I want to savor before the family devours it, I hide it. It’s easy enough.  Depending on who I’m hiding it from, I stash it on the higher or the lower shelf.  Daughter doesn’t look high.  Partner doesn’t look low.  More for me. Let’s leave my trust issues aside for the moment.  There’s something to learn here about how we see...

Busting My Assumptions

We’re big Jodie Foster fans in our household.   We were curious about this odd little film that she made with her pal, Mel Gibson, unfortunately titled, The Beaver. If Jodie hadn’t been associated, I would not have given it a second look based on my assumptions about Mel – a combination of what I had read about his politics and his messy and public implosion when picked up for drunk driving.  I swallowed the whole...

The Art of Disappearing – Part 2

        The Art of Disappearing by Naomi Shihab Nye When they say Don’t I know you? say no.When they invite you to the party remember what parties are like before answering.Someone telling you in a loud voice they once wrote a poem. Greasy sausage balls on a paper plate. Then reply. If they say we should get together. say why? It’s not that you don’t love them any more. You’re trying to remember...

The Art of Disappearing – Part 1

How good are you at disappearing?  Vacation used to mean getting away from it all.  Time to rest, play, relax without the worries or concerns that envelop us at home. Savoring time without a clock or agenda  feels strange when we’re used to go-go-go and do-do-do.  It usually takes me a couple of days to settle into a slower rhythm when I get away; to keep my twitchy fingers off the keypad, not check email,...

Look For The Signs

  In my top 10 list of favorite TEDTalks is Neil Pasricha’s the 3 A’s of Awesome. Neil started a blog to deal with heartache by savoring life’s simple pleasures.  He offers The 3 A’s to Leading a Life That’s Truly Awesome. 1.  Attitude—Life ain’t gonna go according to plan.  There are 2 two things you can do: stay stuck where you are or grieve, face the future and choose to move on. 2. Awareness— Embrace...

Not a Through Trail… Oh Yeah?

Catching up with a friend last week I heard a marvelous story about his son.  Joey finished college without knowing what he really wanted to do.  What he loved was surfing and he did a lot of that.  The parents were probably a little worried. Joey did some substitute teaching and helped out when needed at a Montessori School where his Dad worked. After he’d been around a while, one of the preschool assistants went...

Feel the Awkward and Do It Anyway

I’ve been blessed to work in what some would call exotic places around the world. When I travel so far from home (and the client is paying for my flight), it seems downright negligent not to extend the trip to explore a new place.  I love to travel and take great delight in learning about cultures different from my own. I have had some wonderful adventures and they all come with a good story.  Anyone who knows me...