First let me say how wonderful it is to speak with people who say what they want to say and let themselves ask for help. I was walking with a woman who was talking about her children each living in different cities. She thought she got that the holidays would be hard and treated herself
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Here is my short list of treats: 1. Any time in my garden, topped with seeing a growth spurt from my tomatoes or orange poppies from seeds I planted.2. Coral, I know that color isn’t IN but it is with me for lipstick and Red.3. Not chocolate, yes bread and cheese4. Red wine5. Newspapers from
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I will cut right to the chase today. 1. FOCUS ON YOURSELF2. GET REAL ABOUT YOUR EXPECTATIONS 3. STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS Do you need to call me on the telephone?800 446 3310, California time, Los Angeles. OK, lecture over, and you can have a refund if you didn’t get anything from it. If
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Parents are calling me with good news and bad news. Yes, their children are getting those acceptance emails to college and yes, this means they are really leaving in the summer. Easter and Passover are around the corner. Traditions are being reinvented. Change is inevitable. How well have you done with changes in your past?
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For decades the question lives, “Are parents juggling more and more and losing themselves?” Do you feel that you gave too much to your children and lost parts of yourself along the way? You have the privilege of looking back and then passing on your mistakes and triumphs. I for sure did not rest enough,
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“Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it’s at the end of your arm. As you get older, remember you have another hand: the first is to help yourself, the second is to help others.”— Audrey Hepburn Parents are looking forward to their children coming home for spring break. Parents are rehearsing in their
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I have read and received phone calls about crowded houses. Has someone moved back in? Are they are on their way? A grandmother called me saying her daughter and grand child need to come home due to job loss. A college son will be moving home for the summer until he finds work. His dream
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Reinventing yourself seems to be more common these days despite the economy. Speaking with mothers and fathers, I am hearing focused, driven parents who want something now for themselves. We all can relate to that wanting. These are the shifts they have made in their daily living: (1) Joining a gym and getting a trainer to
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I know the news is depressing. Still, parents are asking if it is a good time to go back to work. Yes. Start the process.1. List what would be fun to do part time or full time2. Interview someone in the field asking, “What frustrates you during the day. What has surprised you about this career?”3. Brush up
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“To look at something as though we had never seen it before requires great courage.” Henry Matisse Isn’t that a fun idea? I think I will try that when I am in my winter garden. I planted tomato seeds in tiny containers in my garage, covered in saran wrap. They are just sprouting. It is
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For me, when I feel isolated, shut down, discouraged, weepy and have curled under my blankets with Kleenex, I soon rise to what I know lifts me….the arts. Sometimes I feel like I am pulling a ball and chain with me but I just keep going. Sing, dance, write a paragraph or more, watercolor, look
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The election is over and the inauguration is around the corner. Big changes, hopes, and celebrations are being planned. It got me thinking in a different way about saying good bye to the roles we have been playing and hello to new parts of ourselves. Let’s partner with ourselves. Let’s remember to be the kind
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Natalie Caine, M.A. natalie@lifeintransition.org
