Traveling the World Through Others
As I straightened up the kitchen this morning, I started singing Cat Steven’s Father and Son song. It’s such a beautiful song from a son to his father. Though sad, it’s message is clear: the son has learned much from his father, but he feels his father doesn’t understand him. He feels like his father…
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When my husband gets stressed out and tired, he pulls back emotionally. It is severe and quick, and he will often continue this pattern for weeks on end. He doesn’t see it, and when I call his attention to my feeling disconnected, he gets defensive and frustrated. He is always just trying to make me…
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I am an anxious attacher with a strong avoidant streak that appears whenever I think the person I love may not love me. In short, I struggle with healthy relationships. I am both needy and dismissive. Sometimes in the same conversation. My abusive, emotionally distant father and my overly doting mother who abandoned me for…
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This is not “my” question. I just read it in the book 101 Essays that will Change the way You Think, but I think it’s a great question. It has really made me think. One word? To everyone in the world? Crazy, right. The first word that comes to me is LOVE, in caps, just…
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My entire life has been filled with friendships. Many of my friendships are more than two decades old. The number of people I hold dear and consider my closest of friends is considerable. I am also aware of how rare this is. My friends are placed in various groups: high school friends, work friends, college…
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To say I have had a lot on my plate recently is an understatement. Wedding, new house, ending an extremely difficult year of pandemic teaching has taken quit a toll on this limited psyche. I am not even sure if I have processed the swirling storms surrounding me over the last five months. As I…
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There are so many levels and definitions of love. It really means so much to so many, but often it is twisted and choked by what it is “supposed” to be. People shackle love with expectations and regulations because they want to save themselves from the pain of “loving” someone or something too much. Many…
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The movie Love Actually, one of my favorite holiday films, begins with Hugh Grant’s iconic narration as he tells us it is at the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport where love can be directly seen. I love this scene. I love the people smiling and kissing and hugging. I feel every word as he explains…
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Today, I have decided to show up with love. Today, I made the conscious decision to reflect and radiate love as opposed to vacillate in anger and hate. Today, love and loving actions are my goal and these two things guide me through today. “I am willing to see things differently. I am willing to…
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Since the actions at the Capitol last week, I have felt angry. These feelings of anger fuel my derisive words and dark thoughts. Each story I see only adds to the frustration and hatred of the people who had the desire to angrily storm and threaten our government. I feel personally affronted and I have…
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The Wandering Empath 