Grit
Grit is defined as "unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger" (Merriam-Webster). Within myself and those around me there seems to be a vast amount of sense of hardship and danger related to the upheaval in the US Government and facing physical health challenges. Both of these situations present challenges on how to maintain a sense of strength and hope.

Hold Tight
As dark clouds appear
And your mind fills with fear
Hold tight my dear
I'll be with you here

Compassion For Others
I have been working my way up to this post ever since 11/5/24. I am seeking to be able to have compassion for anyone and everyone. Don't get me wrong, I have compassion for a lot of people. I struggle at times and for various reasons. I have one particular person in mind and  I'm not fully

Connection Matters
As humans, we all long to feel connection and belonging with others. For me, the holiday season increases my desire to feel connected to family and friends. However, like most Americans, I was nervous about being around family with differing political views this holiday season. I was recently ​

Labels
I have a history of difficult experiences at dentist offices. So the label "dentist", for much of my life, had a very negative connotation. I had a fear that any "dentist" would cause me harm. So much so that when I was single and dating I would have avoided dating a dentist. In more recent years I stumbled upon a dentist that overcame that "bad" label. His kindness, personality, and approach 

Find Your People
"In a world of strangers, you don't know who to trust. All you see is danger, try to find what you lost. You can't go it alone, everybody needs help. You got to find your people, then you'll find yourself." (Lyrics from: Find Your People by Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors)
​
​Stranger Danger
It is so very scary to look around (the neighborhood, city, or country) and feel "different" and not aligned with others. When everyone feels like a stranger, our nervous system tells us we are in

Just Like Me
Categorizing By Default
How do we end division when our brain automatically wants to label and categorize? We label and categorize automatically because our brains were designed this way to help keep us safe. When our ancestors had to forage for food, the unknown was unsafe. So we learned to favor the known. 

Dear Disheartened Americans
Recent events greatly impacted the hope, courage, and spirit of many Americans. I have noticed many of you getting very quiet, and even disconnecting from life and other people. Shutting down to protect, is an automatic response of the nervous system when threatened with danger. It can be wise and helpful at times to temporarily retreat. Yet if you retreat into a deep dark cave there is 

This is not the end of the story.
Find a way to settle yourself.
Breathe. Create. Express.
Find a way to act.
Believe. Uplift. And most of all Love.