Fear Can Ride Along It Just Doesn’t Get to Drive
Fear of the unknown keeps a strange schedule. It might clock in when life is falling apart. It usually waits though for the moment something is about to change — and usually, something good. The new opportunity. The fresh start. The decision you’ve been circling for months. The second you take any of it seriously, […]
When the Mask Gets Heavy: How Emotional Honesty Protects Your Mental Health
You know the feeling. You walk into a room already arranging your face. The “I’m fine” leaves your mouth before the other person has even finished asking. You laugh on cue, nod at the right beats, and somewhere underneath all of it, a quieter part of you is just… tired. Most of us have learned […]
You Can’t Manage Time. So Let’s Stop Trying and Take Back the Day Instead
Grab your coffee and let’s talk about the spare time you have. I think I already know what you are going to say, and I am going to gently disagree with you anyway. “Are you serious? There is NO WAY I have spare time. Have you SEEN my calendar?” I have, and yes, it’s a […]
When “I’m Fine” Isn’t: How to Keep Showing Up for the People You Love
Most of us have said it. Someone asks how we are doing, and before we have even checked in with ourselves, the words are already out: “I’m fine.” Sometimes that is the honest truth. Sometimes it is the most polished thing we own. The people we love say it too. And learning to hear what […]
Stop Staring at the Hole: What a Donut Can Teach Us About a Whole Life
Quick question, and nobody is grading it: when you look at a donut, do you see the warm ring of sweet, fried joy, or the empty circle sitting in the middle? Hang with me here. Your answer might say more about how you are living than any goal you scribbled down back in January. The […]
Be Grateful for the Love of Your Family: Shirley’s Final Mantra and the Six Mantras We Carry Forward
“Be grateful for the love of your family.” — Shirley Johnson We made it to the last mantra together. Seven weeks ago, I introduced you to my neighbor Shirley Johnson, the 90-something soul-knowing friend whose wisdom has been quietly rearranging my days. We have walked through five of her mantras since, and each one has […]
Remember Bigger Problems: A Doorway to Honoring Your Emotions, Not a Dismissal
“Remember, there are many people with bigger problems than yours.” — Shirley Johnson I want to start this one carefully. This mantra has, in some seasons of my life, landed sideways. If you have ever been told “well, somebody has it worse” while you were in real pain, you know what I mean. It can […]
Silver Friends and Gold Friends: Why the People We Choose Are Our Best Medicine
“Surround yourself with wonderful people.” — Shirley Johnson Some weeks I think about how much of my wellbeing has been written by the people I have chosen to spend time with. The friends who picked up the phone when my voice was wobbling. The ones who knew when to just sit quietly. The ones who […]
Use Your Brain: Shirley’s Third Mantra and the Gift of Lifelong Curiosity
“God gave me a brain, so I better use it.” — Shirley Johnson The first time Shirley said this to me, she said it with a little sparkle. Like she was letting me in on a secret she had been keeping for ninety-something years. A secret that, once you really hear it, changes how you […]
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff: Reclaiming the Peace We Keep Trading Away
“Don’t sweat the small stuff.” — Shirley Johnson I will be honest with you. I am a recovering small-stuff sweater. I have lost peace over the dishwasher being loaded by someone other than me, and apparently very wrong. (You know what I mean.) I have lost peace over the line at the grocery store I […]