As I contemplate the fresh opportunity of 2019, I thought it would be helpful to look back on 2018 and consider what worked, what didn’t, the highs and lows. I’d like to share a few of each with you today. There are some big things (like dealing with anxiety) and some smaller things (like finding […]
Self Improvement
We Learn By Playing
We are trying to teach our daughter to eat solid food. Many babies start naturally reaching for their parents’ food when they are ready, but neither of our children ever did. It was a long, painful process to get my son to eat the same things we were eating, and I fear it’ll be the […]
Meditation Saved Me
Last Monday, my 15 month old daughter went in for surgery on her kidneys and bladder. They told us it would take 4-5 hours; we ended up waiting for more than 7. There were periodic calls from inside the OR, assuring us that everything was going well, but it was still an agonizing time. I expected […]
The Word of 2018: Light
As the years have gone by, I’ve gone through a few cycles of New Year’s rituals. As a child, I used to spread out things on my bed that reflected what I wanted in the new year. Unsurprisingly, this hodgepodge always included a stack of books, my journal, and my flute. In my early twenties, I started writing […]
Which Habit Is More Important: Reading or Sleep?
I’m pretty good at habits. Sometimes, I’m too good. My habits gather strength. Sometimes, one of my habits gets in the way of another habit. I wrote in my “What’s Making Me Happy in July” post that one thing NOT making me happy is my lack of sleep. It’s becoming a huge problem. I spend my […]
Personality Test Love: Twitter Chat!
Tomorrow night– Wednesday, August 9– I will be hosting a special Twitter chat about personality types! Join using #DIYMFA at 8PM ET. We’ll be chatting about personality tests (like Myers-Briggs, the Enneagram, Big Five, and the Four Tendencies), how the results have changed our self-perception, and whether they’ve given us insight into our writing lives (or other […]