Quitting doesn't always equal failure

I grew up believing that quitting was paramount to failure. That's not to say that I've never quit a project, a job, or a relationship, because I have.  I just haven't let go without beating myself up with guilt and/or second-guessing my decision, not only in terms of the consequences, but also in terms of what quitting said about me as a person. The belief...

Gardening it forward

Yesterday I struck up a conversation with a women in the gardening department at Home Depot. After talking about our respective gardens for a while (hers being much more established than mine) she said she was going home to thin out some of her favorite flowers and had been trying unsuccessfully to find a good home for them. She asked if I lived nearby, and...

Reframing Mistakes

I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, many small, but some huge. I've spent a lot of time replaying those mistakes over and over, beating myself up and asking all sorts of questions for which there aren't any answers. I'm beginning to realize that all the condemnation and recrimination in the world won't make those "mistakes" go away. I'm also beginning...

Patience pays

I spent at least 4 hours over the past weekend searching for a 42" TV.  Never mind that I need a new TV like a need a hole in the head, but I really wanted one.  It's been a very challenging winter on several fronts and I needed something tangible to boost my spirits and remind me that I'm not making all the sacrifices I'm making for nothing. By...

Love really is a verb

It's not often that a blog post moves me to tears, but this one did. In it, WillThink4Wine  writes so eloquently about the true meaning of love. I couldn't agree with her more when she writes that "I believe that when someone really loves you, really values you deeply, the words "I Love You" need never be spoken. You will feel the love,...

Loneliness hurts

I saw the headline of an article earlier this week that suggests that having a "broken heart" can be physically painful. I think the same is true of profound loneliness. I think there's a common misconception about what loneliness looks like.  That may be why so many people are in denial about their own loneliness or the loneliness of the people around...

The hypocrisy of false positives

I've always prided myself on being one who sees the glass as being half full rather than half empty.  No matter what the circumstances, I've always been able to find the silver lining and convince myself that happier days were right around the corner. In recent weeks I've come to question that strategy.  I'm beginning to wonder if as a society we do...

Social media is here to stay

I must admit that I've been very slow to jump on the social media bandwagon.  I have Facebook and LinkedIn accounts, but I don't use them much and I'm sure I only touch the surface when it comes to all the features available.  I don't understand why people think anyone would want to know that they just ate a giant bowl of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream,...

Forgiveness

The subject of forgiveness has been a ongoing theme for me for some time now - longer than I like to admit.  I've experienced a lot of pain in my life, and I've had lots of experience at forgiving.  However, I'm still fascinated by the process, particularly the correlation (or lack of it) between the intensity of the hurt and my relationship with the...

2010: The Year in Review

2010 started with such great hope and optimism.  While it got off to a good start, my enthusiasm for a great year didn't last long. From a potentially blinding eye problem resulting in major surgery, to the complicated and confusing end of an important relationship, to saying good-bye to a small business I'd run for nearly 10 years, 2010 was a year of endings....