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How to comfort a grieving friend
“If you’re my age, you’ve probably had your heart broken many times. So it’s not that difficult to unpack a bit of grief from some little corner of your heart and cry over it.” ~Emma Thompson Losing our parents and other loved ones is a reality of life as we age — a reality that’s easier to face if we have a nurturing support system. But sometimes it’s hard to know how to help and comfort friends who are grieving a new loss. That’s the topic of my newest column in The Sunday Oakland Press. You’ll find it in the Homefront section in the print edition (July 2) or you…
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It’s a great day!
“There’s no such thing in anyone’s life as an unimportant day.” ~Alexander Woollcott I’ve just returned from a great vacation week of family fun and busyness. This morning, while waiting for my coffee to brew, I checked the wall calendar in my kitchen. The sight of a few blank spaces — no appointments! — immediately gave me a little thrill. As much as I look forward to holidays and activities with family and friends, I also enjoy an occasional free day to spend any way I choose. Commitments and deadlines give all of us a sense of purpose and direction, but being overbooked can feel like a burden. And even…
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Moving in another direction
“Taking a step back to walk away from situations that threaten your peace of mind, values, morals, or self-worth, is almost always a healthy and necessary step forward.” ~Marc and Angel Chernoff Growing up, we were often lectured about the importance of “sticking with it” — even when we suspected it wasn’t right for us. Of course, there’s merit in staying the course and working through difficult times and rough patches, but sometimes it’s better to slow down and reassess what’s really going on, as today’s quote reminds us. We might decide that it’s wiser moving on to something else. Loyalty to anyone or anything isn’t a virtue if it’s seriously messing…
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Blooming
“One day you will look back and see that all along you were blooming.” ~ Morgan Harper Nichols, author and artist As we age, many of us battle the nagging belief that we “haven’t done enough” with our lives. No matter how accomplished we are in any arena, we typically undervalue our achievements and overlook our daily victories. Worst of all, sometimes we focus too intently on our mistakes or missed opportunities. Try this instead: Take inventory of all that you’ve done with your life so far, and admit that you deserve more credit than you’ve been giving yourself. Count every achievement, large and small, whether it’s raising a family, rescuing…
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Opinionated people
“Never confuse being opinionated with having something to say.” ~Marty Rubin Today’s quote says it all, and I’m not going to spoil it with my own commentary. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! ~CL
