life
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DEPENDENT ON INDEPENCE
There is a line in the Declaration of Independence that has long intrigued me: “all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.” It intrigues me because of the truth of it. We do suffer, and… Read more
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THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU!
I have played pickleball under these signs countless times for several years. Until someone took this picture, I didn’t realize just how many, “NO’s” were above my head. There are nine to be exact. Why didn’t I see them before? Likely it’s because I’m always looking for the “Yes” in things, not the “No.” So, I wonder why… Read more
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MOTHERS: WHERE WOULD BE WITHOUT THEM?
For two years, I’ve watched a pair of eagles mate and brood. Last year, Jackie waited weeks for her eggs to hatch. When they didn’t, she tried again. This year, three hatched but only two chicks survived. Through inclement weather and attacks by predators, she and Shadow have ceaselessly protected and nurtured them. Soon, the… Read more
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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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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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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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MAMBA MIA
Like the guy in the Mickey Mouse ears above, I am not afraid to look like an idiot. Just ask last week’s readers from Canada, Nigeria, Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, Pakistan and the Phillipines. I do it so often that I’ve come to view it as a natural stress reliever. This week, I called one of my… Read more
AGEFULLY AGING 