The Good Life

Yesterday’s post got me thinking about a topic very much related to gossip: how we perceive and talk about past relationships that didn’t “end well”, be it ex-boyfriends/girlfriends, jobs we’ve left or been asked to leave, or even friendships that ended in fallouts for whatever reason. Most of us, myself included, have been involved in each of these and many other similar situations in our past. I’ve been dumped, gone through a divorce, been fired,…

Gossip. None of us think we do it, but the reality is many of us are more guilty than we would like to believe. We’ve all heard the very well put quote, “What Susie says about Sally says more about Susie than Sally.” Gossiping, even to your very best friend, about someone else sends a message to the person you’re talking about that you cannot be trusted. If you’re willing to talk poorly about someone…

I WISH I could remember where I heard or read this, but I’m statistically halfway dead  and my brain is even deader from raising so many children. I’m pretty sure I heard it from Jay Shetty, but I think he was actually quoting someone else, as well. I’m not even sure if, under these circumstances, I should put the quote in quotations because it’s obviously not exactly the way it was written. So, I’m just not.…

I am ready to write again. This whole pandemic…with the distancing, hibernating with your little squad, etc…has been very, verytransformative for me. I don’t think it’s just coincidence that over the last 6 months or so I have retreated both physically, and emotionally, from the people and places that I once relied so heavily on.  I think this whole thing has helped catapult me into a mental space that I would’ve taken 10 years to arrive…

I’m not going to lie, I sometimes catch myself trying to “hide” things.  Sometimes it’s as trivial as snacking on tortilla chips when I hear Ben go upstairs, or sneaking a spiked seltzer in the outdoor shower with me at 4pm. Other times, it’s more like acting as if everything is fine when the truth is I’m in a bad place with Ben, or my parents, or my in-laws. Regardless of the depth and breadth…

I like to think of things as “projects”. Just the idea of working on a “project” vs. fixing something or getting better at something sounds so much more motivating to me. Whether it’s a manual labor thing like power washing the deck or working on my fitness, changing my perspective on how I mentally approach it is actually a game changer for me. Identifying with something as a project makes me feel like I just need…

It’s terrifying to have a voice in social media. We don’t want to offend anyone, so we think it’s better to say nothing. But, we also know that saying nothing says more than just saying something. But, just saying something isn’t saying enough. There are so many ways our black population has been wronged for so long. And, while the state of the world is so difficult to witness right now, it seems to be…

Do you know what’s hard? Being the positive one in a room full of people that are being negative. And, it’s in our nature to do what is easy, safe, and doesn’t threaten our connections with others. Fortunately, what I’ve found is this: our energies and perspectives are contagious. In most situations, what we put out there is given back to us. And, that goes for both positivity and negativity. If we start a conversation…

I have spent the better part of my life going through layers of phases of trying be the best: the best athlete, the best mother, the best wife…writer, homemaker, friend, dressed. The voice inside my head was always wanting more than what I was seeing in myself. I’ve wanted my kids, and even their friends, to like me the most. I’ve wanted to be the best athlete in our gym. And, I’ve spent probably my…