I jogged to my local bookstore, toting a baked treat for the owner. At the door, I burst into tears. A small note by the “Closed” sign said she had just passed away. Yvonne was quirky, and brusque, and it smelled funny in there. But I loved that old woman. When I first hung out my shingle as a new …
This morning, I was listening to a seminar on empowerment. The teacher (Debbie Ford) suggested, “Stand in the mirror and say, “I am hot, sexy, and delicious!” When I heard the word “delicious,” I cringed. After journaling about why, I realized that I used to be passionately sensual – excitedly drinking in pleasure and beauty. But after experiencing so many setbacks and failures over the past several years, I’d …
When I was 16 years old, I trained to be a lifeguard. The lesson on our very first day surprised me. In the movies, the rescuer shouts, “I’ll save you!” then dives in and swims madly toward the drowning person. It turns out that in real rescues, you only get in the water as a very last resort. Instead, the …
What’s the difference between hope and false expectations? How do we know when to hope for the best and when we’re deluding ourselves? In each case, we’re throwing ourselves open to faith, to things we can’t control or predict. Is there such a thing as healthy and unhealthy hope, and if so, where’s the line? On the one hand, I’ve often found the …
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 …
Three weeks ago, my life fell apart. After yet one more wish that didn’t come true, it all came crashing down. Like Humpty Dumpty cracked wide open, I saw painfully clearly all the ways I’d been living that were keeping me unhappy: doubting myself, clutching to specific outcomes, and measuring my worth by achievement – society’s definition of success. There …
No one ever talks about letting go of your dreams. But sometimes we have to be Who We Are in a different way. I awoke nauseous this morning, standing in the Abyss that is my life – giving up the dreams I’ve so doggedly pursued for the past several years. My book didn’t help millions as a bestseller. I’m barely …
¿Alguna vez has conocido un ángel en persona en un lugar cotidiano que te dice algo tan profundo en el momento justo cuando más necesitas escucharlo? Ayer, el dependiente del servicio postal cerca de mi casa fue ese ángel. “Cruza tus dedos por mí, Roy” Le dije, pasándole mi libro en un sobre dirigido a un revisor de guiones en …
Have you ever met an earth angel–a regular person in an everyday place who says something deeply profound at just the moment you need to hear it most? Yesterday, my local post office clerk was that angel. “Keep your fingers crossed for me, Roy,” I said, handing him my book in an envelope addressed to a screenplay reviewer in L.A. …
Todo comenzó con mi portabicicletas. Ahora que tenía mi carro nuevo, ya no podía usar mi portabicicletas Yakima, el cual no era compatible con mi nueva escotilla. Al seguir hurgando en el fondo de mi armario, noté toda clase de equipo que ya no uso, así como algunas cosas nuevas que todavía tenían las etiquetas puestas. Esquíes, equipo para …
