Ever wonder why you get so upset listening to someone you care about, often interrupting, rather than listening? The answer may not surprise you, but the solution to becoming a better listener might just do that! And it’s not that hard…

If we look beyond moments of grief and all that was lost, some amazing things have happened. Some families learned that they actually enjoyed being hunkered down with each other. Some had the chance to relearn simple things like learning to paint, play an instrument or even enjoy an extravagant puzzle. Time, was on our side. For some that was torture, but also for many, time became divine intervention. Time to float and think.

Have you ever, and I mean, ever, said ‘no, I definitely can’t do that’ and then unbeknownst to yourself, actually did that thing?! Swim across the lake. Write that book. Get your first client. Get your 100th client. Complete that research project. Fix that thing that has been broken for-ever!?

Yes?! Then you know it’s possible. The question is how do we repeat it? How do we get past the point of saying, no, I can’t, to maybe I can, to I did it!

I remain in awe of motherhood to this day and am unclear if there is such a thing as a magic formula. Lately I’ve been thinking that the only real magic is in the mysterious and amazing gift of creating another human being…a unique being unlike anyone else. And then having the opportunity to be the mama.

If only all the last of things in our life, came with a warning label. Then we could be fully prepared, right? Maybe not…sometimes letting life unfold on its’ own terms is exactly what we need.

This seems so obvious that every time I read it, I literally want to roll my eyes. Like, hello? Yes! Why would I continue to carry things around day in and day out when I have zero ability to control it? And how can I possibly think straight about the things I CAN control when I am holding space for the things I CAN’T?

Now, at the corner of midlife, I see how important it is to care for ourselves, while keeping perspective on how others feel. That is a tough one for most of us! The intention is to understand and empathize with others, without having it change the way we feel. You know, so that you can take care of yourself, because that is the end game that leads to an authentically happy life.

Getting to a relaxed state of mind isn’t something that easily occurs, which is why we have such a hard time accessing  it. We are literally waiting for the confirmation that now is the time to relax! 

Instead we simply need to learn how to relax during a moment that we are not currently craving it. 

I am hours away from turning 55 years old. I have asked myself a hundred times how I feel about this number and quite honestly, I can’t come up with a feeling at all. I have tried to digest the number, put it in perspective and even rationalize it. Reminding myself that even if I live to be 100, I have less life to live than I have already lived. Yet still, I can’t come up with any feelings attached to that.

Saying yes to life is about having an excitement down deep that is constantly stirring...not because you know something great IS going to happen, but because you are open to the possibility of what will happen next, and are hopeful about it being great. 

Some people have this intrinsic yearning for purpose deep in their core that they are not even fully aware of...yet it calls to them secretly and can only really be seen in their doing, not necessarily in their speaking.