Let’s talk about this idea of food as medicine, shall we? Because I think we’re sometimes missing the point in the health and wellness world on this topic, and that it’s not as simple as we’d like to believe it is. First, a story… When I was in grad school, I often felt like I wasn’t doing a “good enough” …
On Social Media, Dopamine, & Why It’s Okay to Quietly Succeed
A couple of weeks ago, I read an article in the New York Times about a 96 year old woman, Sylvia Bloom, who died with a small fortune in the bank, most of which she donated to a charity in New York City providing educational opportunities to underprivileged kids. First: Slow clap for the badassery it took Sylvia to toil …
Everything Is In Flux (or, On Adulting, Impermanence, & Accelerated Greying)
“We are bathing in mystery and confusion on many subjects, and I think that will always be our destiny. The universe will always be much richer than our ability to understand it.” ~Carl Sagan Yesterday, I woke up with three new moles on my abdomen and about eighteen new grey hairs. Ok, so I didn’t actually count the moles or …
It’s Okay to Feel Terrible Sometimes
“You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness.” ~Jonathan Safran Foer “The only way to find true happiness is to risk being completely cut open.” ~Chuck Palahniuk I recently watched Planet Earth II — the new-ish sequel to the original series from 2006 — and was reminded how beautiful and magical and harsh and violent and dynamic this …
The Universe is Neutral, But You Shouldn’t Be (or, Some Thoughts About the Law of Attraction)
“You are you. Now, isn’t that pleasant?” ~Dr. Seuss One thing I know for sure is that the more me I am, the more I find myself surrounded by the things that light me up. The more me I was when dating, the closer I got to the partner I have now. The more me I have been in my …
My Cat is a Jerk & Other Truths About Letting Go
“There are two means of refuge from the misery of life — music and cats.” ~Albert Schweitzer I’ve learned a lot about life and love and relationships from my cat. (Stay with me here. I know it seems like this is just going to be a story about how I turned into a cat lady and started obsessing about my feline …
Lessons Learned at Les Schwab (or, On Hugging Strangers & the Power of Acknowledging Our Shared Humanity)
“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects.” ~Herman Melville This Monday, I took my car into Les Schwab to have my screw-impaled tire repaired and was surprised to find myself in a …
Let’s Stop Apologizing, Shall We?
“The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise.” ~Maya Angelou In a relatively recent conversation, I discovered that I was harboring some previously unacknowledged guilt for being an ambitious woman with dreams of world domination. Ok, ok. I don’t really want world domination. But I do have big dreams and the …
This Isn’t A Test: The Comparison Trap and Why You Should Keep Your Eyes On Your Own Paper
“Comparison is the death of joy.” ~Mark Twain One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was to keep my eyes on my own paper. Which was basically just a suggestion to stop looking outside myself for constant validation and to start doing the hard work of figuring out who I was and who I wanted to become …
Let’s Stop Pathologizing Anxiety, Shall We?
“Our task must be to free ourselves… by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” ~ Albert Einstein Is anxiety always pathological? I think not. As someone with a previous history of panic attacks that seemed to arise out of nowhere, I can say that I am very familiar …