• Civility and manners,  Friendship and relationship advice,  Health & wellbeing

    Bullies and boundaries

    “When you set healthier relationship standards in your life, some people will take it personally. That’s their issue, not yours. The distance you need isn’t against them; it’s for you. It’s a boundary, not a grudge.” ~Steve Maraboli Bullying is demoralizing, and it doesn’t just happen to kids on the playground or in politics. In our daily lives we sometimes encounter folks who don’t play fair. Social bullies aren’t necessarily loud or obvious, and sometimes they don’t even recognize their own patterns of bullying. But you know ’em when you see ’em. Social bullies are the ones who need to have the upper hand — in a variety of ways.…

  • Holidays,  Home & Family

    Irish DNA

    “We Irish prefer embroideries to plain cloth. To the Irish, memory is a canvas—stretched, primed, and ready for painting on. We love the “story” part of the word “history,” and we love it trimmed out with color and drama, ribbons and bows. Listen to our tunes, observe a Celtic scroll; we always decorate our essence.” ~Frank Delaney I’ve always been a storyteller. And every year on St. Patrick’s Day, I have an uncanny memory of the lyrics to Irish folk tunes. Strangers have walked up to me in shops and asked if I’m Irish. I knew I had “a little Irish” in me, but didn’t realize how much Irish until…

  • Grief and loss,  Health & wellbeing,  Inspirational quotes

    When you have to improvise

    “Just because things hadn’t gone as I’d planned didn’t necessarily mean they’d gone wrong.” ~Ann Patchett When I was younger, I cringed at the old adage, “Everything happens for a reason.” It seemed like a sugar-coated excuse for rotten luck or bad choices. But the more I experienced life, the more I noticed that the most challenging/stressful events — like having surgery on both of my hips — turned out to be incredible periods of growth for me. There was something valuable to learn from every episode of pain and loss I’ve endured. Sometimes the recipes you follow in a cookbook don’t turn out well; sometimes you have to improvise.…

  • Domestic arts,  Health & wellbeing,  Inspirational quotes

    Chasing the denim blues

    “Don’t be nervous. Work calmly, joyously, recklessly on whatever is in hand.” ~Henry Miller Boredom combined with inertia can be a recipe for anxiety. But have you noticed that you worry less when you’re occupied with a project — even a seemingly mundane project? Feeling anxious and out of sorts last week, I spent time sorting through two large drawers stuffed with jeans. The drawers had been so disorganized — for so long — that I could never find what I was looking for. Of course, most of the jeans were out of fashion and most wouldn’t zip when I tried them on. In the process of sorting, I uncovered…

  • Health & wellbeing,  Motivation,  Personal growth

    Taking action

    “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” ~Dale Carnegie Dale Carnegie often wrote about turning anxiety into fuel for success. He understood that our problems and worries always loom larger when we’ve got too much idle time on our hands. Productivity moves us out of the shadows of rumination. Once we tackle an issue head on, it becomes less intimidating — even if we start with small steps toward resolution. What plan of action will you start today? ~CL Miss any posts this week? Check out the Life…