Helen Hudson
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INVISIBLE STRINGS
I have had a recurring dream since the age of 5. I’m in a schoolyard with other children and trying to climb up a fence. The teacher is yelling at me to, “Come Down!” With immense mental effort, I begin to rise very slowly. My feet hover just above the teacher’s outstretched hands. It takes… Read more
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JUDGE THE COVER, MISS THE BOOK
Just when I think I’m seeing things clearly, I get thrown a curve ball. As I enter the produce section of Trader Joe’s, there is a man fondling the bananas. Yes, fondling. He eventually pulls off only one. I’m intrigued. His clothes are ill fitting and shabby and the seat of his trousers seems oil… Read more
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GIDDY WITH GRATITUDE!
Recently, a new friend said to me at a party, “You come with a reputation. Everyone knows you and the reviews are all 5-star!” I felt so warm inside you’d have thought my heart was on fire. Isn’t it funny how two sentences can lift your spirits? It’s nice to imagine I might have that… Read more
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LIGHT IT UP
As a therapist, I’ve seen my share of suicides, psychotics, schizophrenics and other tortured souls: Men and women abusing each other or themselves. Couples with unrealistic expectations of their partners. Addicts unable to stop using drugs, eating food or watching porn and a populace that has seemingly lost its’ purpose. Recently, a teenager told me… Read more
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RANDOM OR RIGGED?
My neighbor saw this hole in my tree and thought I drilled it. I explained a woodpecker made it. When he still looked at me quizzically, I replied, ‘I watched him do it.’ Sometimes the conclusions we draw have no connection to the truth. Franklin D. Roosevelt believed that if you said, ‘rabbit rabbit,’ the… Read more
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TO DREAM PERCHANCE TO SLEEP
I used to think of sleep as ‘nothingness,’ and a waste of time. I never even napped for fear of what I might be missing. Now I’ve learned that I was missing a lot. I also thought 8 hours of sleep was just fine. However, after using my Oura sleep-tracker, I found I was only… Read more
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OUT OF THE SHADOWS INTO THE LIGHT
In this uncertain time, transparency-not invisibility-would be prudent. Yet, I feel I’m living among shadow people: those who share so little of themselves that they barely seem there as if I could pass my hand right through them. They are afraid to express their opinions, trust no one, monitor their doorbell cameras and phones, and remove their… Read more
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KICK UP YOUR HEELS!
They say the #1 fear most people have is public speaking, but I’m not sure that’s true. I think the deeper fear is of standing out in a crowd whether vocally or visually. Many let their fear of embarrassment overshadow their chance for joy. Drawing no attention to yourself elicits neither positive nor negative feedback. It can… Read more
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LOVE? OR SOMETHING LIKE IT?
This is my picture of unconditional love: a dog cruising down the highway with the window open, smiling and waving at everyone who passes. Love is arguably the only feeling that makes you, ‘able to leap tall buildings’ and get weak in the knees at the same time. But it’s ephemeral. Try to hold on too tightly… Read more
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PUT A RING ON IT
While the country swirls in chaos, I’ve gone Zen and purchased the Oura ring, pictured above. It watches over me silently. It knows how much I sleep, how good that sleep is and even reminds me when it’s time for bed. It also seems to know what I am doing at any given moment. Recently,… Read more
AGEFULLY AGING 