All of meWhy not take all of meCan’t you seeI’m no good without you From the song All of Me by Billie Holiday and Lester Young My husband gave me a fancy goal planner for Christmas (Cultivate What Matters brand, if you’re curious or a goal-geek, like I am). And although I confess I’d actually told him I was really interested in this particular planner, I…
It was late April 2018. James and I were hiking Little Si, a small mountain near North Bend, WA. We navigated wet dripping branches and slick tree roots as we tried to rouse our minds and spirits from a season of mental fog that had engulfed us while my husband studied fervently for his Structural Engineer licensing exam. He'd taken the test a few weeks before…
Elise, what have you been up to? Where shall I start? It's officially summer, so my garden and I have been racing each other to see who can weed/grow weeds the fastest. Ha. It's no contest. I lose. But the flowers are gorgeous and I keep picking these bouquets that knock my socks off! Seattle friends--I'll make you a pretty posy is you want to stop…
“Comparison is the thief of joy.” -Theodore Roosevelt Can you imagine having a child you love, and constantly comparing that little, fragile soul to the frightening, and competitive world around her? I’m not a mother, but seriously, that sounds heartlessly cruel. And yet, this is what comparison does to my heart (the child) every time I rank myself against someone else. I have friends who are…
Remember in Beauty and the Beast when the heroine sees her father is ill and rushes to his side? She sees it in a magic mirror. The same mirror draws her back to the Beast in his castle. In fairy tales, the magic mirror shows things from a far part of the world or sometimes from the soul (think Snow White). When I look over my…
Every time I stay in my house for a long time in isolation and start gobbling huge quantities of chocolate to deal with my stir-craziness, I'm reminded that the hermit lifestyle was not designed to be a life-long gig. The human condition comes with a hardwired need of others. I need companionship, affection, feedback, encouragement, teamwork, as well as.... I discovered, based on an assessment, that I…