Having grit is living one strong, brave, determined day at a time.

Recipe for Grit

It takes grit to make it through life. Grit is more than an idea. It’s a practice that can be applied every day, especially the tough ones. Once you know the recipe for grit, there’s nothing you can’t handle. Grit has many ingredients, but there are four main components: God, Resilience, Integrity, & Toughness. The…

ABCs of 2023

Learning our ABCs is the beginning of learning how to communicate. They are the foundational building blocks upon which languages are built. Once the alphabet is committed to memory, one can never unlearn it. When letters are combined, they hold meaning. Acceptance, Boundaries, and Communication were the ABCs of 2023 for me. Combining these life…

A house extremely decorated for the holidays

Your Crazy is Showing

Not long ago, my friend gave me a greeting card. The card reads, “Your crazy is showing… you may want to tuck that sh*t back in. The inside inscription continues, “Or not…depends on what look you’re going for. Holidays have nothing to do with the card, but I can’t help thinking of them when I…

Butterfly with a torn wing pollinating flowers

Bounty of Beauty

No matter how ugly life gets, a bounty of beauty is nearby. You need not look further than out a window. Better yet, step outside and be inspired by how seamlessly nature exists. When we pause and observe the beauty of our surroundings, we can witness unexpected joy. Reminders of the farse of perfection can…

Baseball teammates hive-fiving each other

Emotional Enemies

Gratitude and guilt are emotional enemies. So are joy and jealousy. These emotional enemies make playing the game of life difficult to enjoy. They are competitors of one another. These conflicting feelings show up when people who know each other want the same thing, but only one receives it. Take friends applying for the same…

neatly folded laundry

Permission to be Human

Life hits you when you least expect it to. Holding it all together during those times is challenging. When emotional challenges overwhelm me, I’m learning to give myself permission to be human. Easier said than done, for sure. Being human means having unwanted emotions and not knowing what to do with them. Sometimes so many…

Young boy throwing a tempertantrum

Just Give It To Me

The delayed flight from Denver to Boston made all the passengers impatient for take-off. Everyone, including the pilot, was anxious to get in the air and arrive at the destination somewhat on time. There were complaints about insufficient space to put carry-on luggage, confusion with reservations, and seat assignments. The usual bitching that goes along…