Personal Development

Most of us have experienced plenty of endings in our lives. Sometimes they were situations and relationships that we were glad to be rid of, and sometimes . . . not so much.

Either way, endings hurt. With them comes a feeling of loss, emptiness and aimlessness that leads us to ask, “What now?”

As painful and sad as endings might be, they ALWAYS come with an opportunity for a fresh start. The closing of one door causes more to open.

I’ve never been good at caring for plants. Either I’d forget to water them, water them too much, or put them in a spot where they couldn’t get adequate sunlight and they’d die. I’d pretty much given up on trying to turn my thumb green.

Several months ago I was browsing through my local home improvement store when I was instantly attracted to a “Lucky Bamboo” plant. It had 26 stalks of bamboo all twisted, tied and formed into a gorgeous spiral design.

Lately I keep hearing that song, “You Can’t Hurry Love” running through my head. I’m not trying to hurry love . . . but I am trying to hurry other stuff!

I’ve been in a state of urgency for the past week or so, feeling like I’ve got to hurry up and finish the project I’m working on so I can hurry and move on to the next one, so I can hurry up and . . . need I go on?

Last evening after dinner I took a break to sit out on the deck and see if I … read more

WELL, what a difference a few days can make! I’m feeling so much better than I have over the past couple of weeks. All the cleaning and organizing I did Friday and Saturday made a huge difference in my physical surroundings, and I took Sunday off to spend with my mom, mom-in-law, sister-in-law, and grandmother (all the great Moms in my life! ). It was so nice to just relax and enjoy a beautiful day. The menfolk were there too: hubby, my brother, my father-in-law and my grandfather. Oh, and my nephew and niece. We had quite a full … read more

The other day I was clearing out my home office in preparation for our upcoming move, when I stumbled upon a box of supplies left over from an old business opportunity I had undertaken several years ago. It was a perfectly fine business opportunity, but it wasn’t for me. Looking back, I knew even then that it wasn’t right for me, but I had determinedly ignored my inner voice and pursued it anyway.

As I sorted through this box of paperwork and supplies, I felt my face flame with embarrassment and regret. How could I have been so stupid to think … read more

I’m reading through a new book I bought recently, Creating a Charmed Life by Victoria Moran. It features a collection of 75 short essays about how to bring more joy, meaning, and simplicity into your life.

One of my favorite essays from the book (so far) is called, “Give Up Your Mountain.” By “mountain” she means the foreboding issue that stands between you and the life you want to be living. Everyone’s mountains are different. For one person, it might be haunting memories of an abusive childhood, for another it could be an addiction, for someone else it could be financial … read more

My husband and I have an ongoing battle about the “stuff” we accumulate in our home. While I do admit to some packrat tendencies of my own, I also like things nice and clean and simple. I go through periods of time when I’m gathering and storing up stuff (like books, clothing, office supplies, and other miscellaneous items) — but then I also get into moods when I realize I don’t need all this stuff hanging around and I either sell it or give it away. I love those “purging” phases because my surroundings feel so much calmer and more … read more