The “Poor Me” Post-it

Laurie Gardner Attitude adjustment, Difficult situations Leave a Comment

Plucky and freckled, my neighbor Lana is a young Irish gal who’s always making wisecracks and is quick to lend a helping hand.  Lana grew up poor, raised by a quirky single mom whom she says dated men “with more criminal charges than teeth.”  To help make ends meet, Lana’s mom would take her daughters dumpster diving.  Since Lana was the …

Body Shop

Laurie Gardner Health & wellness Leave a Comment

I got a notice in the mail the other day that it was time to service my car.  When I called the garage, the office manager asked, “Are you calling to schedule routine service or major maintenance?”  “I have no idea,” I replied.  After looking up my records, she confirmed, “Looks like your car has reached the age where it’s …

My Spacesuit Hurts

Laurie Gardner Health & wellness Leave a Comment

One of my favorite quotes is, “We are not humans having a spiritual experience; we are spirits having a human experience.”  From this view, we are just visitors on Planet Earth, here to learn life lessons so that we may progress as spirits.  In order to survive in this earthly environment, we’ve each borrowed a “spacesuit” that we call a body. …

Pathways to Intimacy

Laurie Gardner Love & relationships Leave a Comment

Only a few days after New Year’s, stores are already displaying gifts for Valentine’s Day.  Meanwhile, several people are still “recovering” from the holidays, whether spent with loved ones or alone.  Perhaps that’s why I’m having so many conversations lately about intimacy.  Most of the discussions have centered on the best way to connect with others.   “How can I develop …

Not This Time, Brutus: Preventing Betrayal

Laurie Gardner Love & relationships, Trust Leave a Comment

“Et tu, Brute?” says a startled Julius Caesar in the Shakespeare tragedy, as he dies on the point of his closest friend’s sword.   While most modern day betrayals are not as dramatic as getting run through by a sword, many of us have felt the pain of getting stabbed in the back.  Many betrayals take place in romantic relationships, such as …

If Adam and Eve Online Dated

Laurie Gardner Love & relationships Leave a Comment

Imagine if there was online dating back in Biblical times:   Adam’s first email to Eve:   Dear tempting1: I really like your profile.  Is it true you have a pet snake?   Eve’s response to Adam: Dear onemanonly: Sure is!  I love that apples are one of your favorite things…mine too!   Adam to Eve: Wanna meet me under …

Cool Your Jets: Slowing Down in Love and Life

Laurie Gardner Love & relationships, Patience & faith, Trust 1 Comment

My upstairs neighbor has a theory.  “If you find someone you really like, you should wait 30 days before sleeping with them,” she told me over my kitchen table.  “It worked for me and my husband.”   I don’t know that I agree we need to wait a month before sleeping with someone.  (In fact, I like to kiss a …

How to Be Happy When Your Life is Crappy

Laurie Gardner Difficult situations, Happiness Leave a Comment

How to be happy is no easy question, nor is there a short answer.  Great philosophers and spiritual teachers have spent centuries tackling the quest for human happiness.  Letting go of struggle and negativity and freeing yourself to joyously love and be loved is a lifelong journey.  Meanwhile, there are a few basic check-points on the road map to happiness that …