Last week’s in-person visit with a childhood friend was long in the planning, full of crafty activity ideas shared through our Instagram accounts. Still in tact after more than six decades is our shared love for the arts, making stuff by hand, and an appreciation for the carefree childhoods we experienced on the island, long…
Revitalizing the Embers of a Dream
This is the story of an idea, a dream that just won’t die. Thirty years ago I signed up for my first writing class at a local college: Writing for the Children’s Market. Amidst a small group of writers who elected chose contemporary fiction as their genre, I knew that the story I wanted to…
Imagine beginning your life’s work at 72!
Stories like Mary Delaney’s give me hope. It was in 1772 (yes, you read that right!) and she was 72 years old when in an unexpected moment of observation, Mary Delaney noticed that a piece of colored paper (presumably, watercolored paper) perfectly matched the petal of a geranium. In a flash of inspiration, a creative…
A DIY Roadmap to More Happiness
One of the secrets to a happy life is, without a doubt, that feeling of fulfillment at the end of an ordinary day. As simple and obvious as this sounds, identifying whatever it is that makes us feel fulfilled is not necessarily easy. I also like to think that it can change or shift depending…
Feeling Connected and Inspired
I love surrounding myself with an evolving collection of interesting resources, whatever the topic. After building a career in publishing that was not especially gratifying, I was on a quest to figure out how to build a work-life that would include my artistic self within a profession that offered a reliable means of support. Early…
A Dream Deferred but Not Abandoned
Dreams may be deferred but they need not be abandoned. These dreams — or long-term goals, desires, aspirations, visions for our future — can be hard to remember when unexpected life events demand that we shift our focus. Maybe we go into survival mode. Or, maybe we simply must give time and energy to something…
3 Strategies to Finding my Footing after a Major Life Curveball
On an ordinary Tuesday evening, while the frozen blueberries melted in the abandoned bag of groceries from Trader Joe’s, my life took a completely unanticipated turn. Days later, as the initial feelings of shock gave way to the beginnings of acceptance, I began to see that I was at a crossroads. I had a choice:…
Lean Into Change — it’s here to stay
There’s a big life change underway for me. It requires packing up home (again) and moving to a new city (again). But unlike the move two years ago, this one feels like I am moving towards the light. I am making life-altering decisions with a happier state of mind and relishing the fresh start….
My 3 Words for 2017
I don’t know about you, but the internet’s plethora of how-to articles on new year goal setting sends me into a self-doubting panic. I want to keep moving forward in the direction of self-improvement, but what shiny new approach is the right fit? After consuming advice from various time management, lifestyle and entrepreneurial gurus, I settled…
Home is Where the Garden Grows
I held on to the fantasy with a grip so tight nothing would separate us. My marriage may have been over but at least I had my home, which, in truth, was really the garden. My garden – that postage-stamp-sized patch that I’d cultivated into an urban oasis – was the true heart of my…