One of my favorite exchanges I’ve had in recent months was with my client’s teenage daughter. She’s a talented cheer athlete, and competes nationally along with her twin sister. After we had finished editing their bedroom, I asked her, “What do you love most about cheer?” I’m embarrassed to admit that I expected her to say something to the effect of, “I love getting to spend time with my teammates.” Or, “I love my ...

  Most people end the year with notes of thanks. I’m ringing in the new year by suggesting we all orient our focus on gratitude. What I’ve learned is that gratitude is not the place you arrive at, but the starting point. Every morning since my mom died, I’d been thinking “I’m so grateful to be alive” the instant I wake up, and before I open my eyes. At the outset of 2023, I decided ...

  Daily frustrations, careless mistakes, unforeseen, unnavoidable crises, and even intentional, premeditated evils–these are all part of the human experience. There is no way to separate being alive from the challenges of life. Now that we’re more connected to the world at large than ever before, these hardships are inescapable. Everywhere you look is a circumstance that threatens to sink you. Over there is a tragic war, and over here is senseless suffering, and your ...

    Whether or not you realize it or would like to admit it, if you’re an independent adult, your daily life is your design. The privilege of getting to divvy up a chunk of 24 hours into segments as you see fit is not one to be overlooked. If you’re like most of us, you feel compelled to do a few basic activities like eat, sleep, bathe, work, and move. But the way that ...

  When we experience emotionally traumatic events, it’s tempting to dwell on our pain. Allowing ourselves the opportunity to process what we’ve lived through can be essential. “Did that really all happen?” We may want to ask ourselves. “Did it really happen the way I remember it did? Was it really as bad as I remember it being? What did it teach me?” The rehashing is necessary for clarity…until it isn’t. There comes a time ...