Safe, Not Stuck: Embracing Lack of Change

Laurie Gardner Attitude adjustment, Being real, Happiness, Hope, Mindfulness, Patience & faith, Purpose & passion 16 Comments

[Update: After such a tumultuous 2020, as I and many hope for change in 2021, this blog about the wisdom of no change seems especially timely . . .]   As I ponder the start to the new year, at first, I feel sorry for myself. I make the foolish, painful mistake of comparing myself to others and focusing on …

Don’t Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle

Laurie Gardner Breaking old patterns, Love & relationships Leave a Comment

Have you ever been with your family over the holidays, when all of a sudden, you revert to a much younger age? Maybe your parents or siblings say or do something that used to drive you nuts, and you find yourself becoming a resentful teenager. Or perhaps you slip back to your five-year-old self, trying to please everyone and keep …

To Trust or Not to Trust?

Laurie Gardner Intuition & inner knowing, Love & relationships, Trust 5 Comments

  Trust is a tricky issue. If we trust too much, we could get burned. If we don’t trust enough, we could miss out – on important connections, lessons, and relationships. So how do we know when to open up and let down our guard and when to keep the protective walls up? You might ask, “What if my head answers that question one …

De un Libro Triste a un Nuevo Libro

Laurie Gardner Palabras de Sabiduría Leave a Comment

Una roca pesada cayó en mi corazón al leer el diagnóstico. Mi querida Subaru Outback, quien había estado tan amorosa y lealmente a mi lado por más de 17 años, estaba en su lecho de muerte. Toda su vida pasó ante mí: todas nuestras aventuras, nuestras experiencias, nuestros sueños y esperanzas. A través de todas mis angustias y alegrías, ‘Ru …

Protecting Your Space

Laurie Gardner Difficult situations, Mindfulness 5 Comments

Last night, after doing a really fun dance workshop, I went to my favorite Japanese restaurant where customers can sit at the sushi bar. Where they first seated me, it smelled really strongly of something like a cross between ammonia and Glade bathroom air freshener. I thought maybe they had just wiped the counter, but then I realized it was …

Protegiendo Tu Espacio

Laurie Gardner Palabras de Sabiduría Leave a Comment

Anoche, después de un divertido taller de baile, fui a mi restaurante japonés favorito donde los clientes pueden sentarte frente a la barra de sushi. Donde me sentaron primero, olía muy fuerte a algo como amoniaco y aromatizante de baño. Pensé que apenas habían limpiado la barra pero entonces noté que era el hombre que estaba en la siguiente mesa, …

Speak Up or Shut Up?

Laurie Gardner Attitude adjustment, Being real, Love & relationships 7 Comments

Have you ever understood a loved one’s situation more clearly than he or she does, but weren’t sure whether to say something or to bite your tongue? The other day, my friend was talking on and on in an angry, confused haze about her unfaithful boyfriend, and I just wanted to blurt out, “Dump the dirtball!” Last month, a couple …

¿Hablar o Callarse?

Laurie Gardner Palabras de Sabiduría Leave a Comment

¿Alguna vez has entendido la situación de un ser querido con más claridad que él o ella, pero no estabas seguro de si decir algo o morderte la lengua? El otro día, mi amiga estaba hablando sin parar en una nube de enojo, confundida por su novio infiel, y yo sólo quería decirle, “Deshazte del idiota!” El mes pasado, dos …

A Bug Story

Laurie Gardner Mindfulness 10 Comments

Emma. That’s what I decided to name the unusually large mosquito eater that was zooming around my house. Those bugs are creepy looking, like spindly daddy long legs with wings, but anything that eats the annoying, disease-carrying stingers that constantly welt my sweet skin is a friend of mine. I turned around from my computer and saw Emma suddenly dive-bomb …

The Wisdom of Willy Wonka

Laurie Gardner Patience & faith Leave a Comment

“I want an Oompa Loompa, and I want it NOW!” screams little Veruca Salt to her father in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. While I dislike her spoiled brat character, I can certainly relate to her impatience and desire to get what she wants right now. Have you ever been in a “holding pattern” in your life, taking steps toward where …