Does the uncertainty of post-pandemic life have you chewing your nails to the quick and spending your nights tossing and turning? How can you survive in the midst of so much economic and social chaos? In this podcast, discover the “gold” that is truly yours, and that can not only sustain you, but help you thrive, even in the face of so much change.
Tuesday, July 6, 2021
Monday, July 5, 2021
Meet An “Amazing” Who Is Finally Receiving The Recognition He Truly Deserves
Captain Paris Davis, at 81, is in line to finally receive the Medal of Honor this Vietnam Vet so rightly deserves. Captain Davis found himself the last American standing among a company of South Vietnamese volunteers trapped by enemy forces.
One of the first Black officers in the Special Forces, Captain Davis, then 26, defied all odds by continuing to fight despite being shot repeatedly (5 times) as he dragged three of his wounded comrades to safety. His nomination for the Medal of Honor was mysteriously lost – twice – but due to the continued efforts of his determined fellow-soldiers, it has once again seen the light of day, and this time, it is not only not lost, but looks well on its way to being awarded to the courageous Vet. Congratulations and thank you for your service, Captain Davis.
For more Amazings, go to https://www.Facebook.com/MeetTheAmazings.
Thursday, July 1, 2021
What’s Right With This Picture?
Lunch at a restaurant! With a friend, live and in person! A restaurant with indoor seating, no masks required for the vaccinated. OMG, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. After the long year of home-cooking (not much variety there), take-out (fun from time to time, not all the time), and lusting in front of Food Network re-runs, the trip to the restaurant was more than a welcome event. It was Nirvana.
As my friend and I lovingly perused the menu, comparison-shopping the promised taste treats, I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation of the couple behind us. “They don’t have anything I want,” the woman moaned. “I thought you liked salmon,” her friend replied. “Not grilled like that, it’ll be all dry,” the woman said. “Maybe you can ask them to poach it,” her friend suggested. “Fat chance,” the woman said. “And what’s with the waiter?” she continued, “we’ve been here at least 15 minutes, and haven’t seen hide nor hair of him since he plunked the water down. Which he spilled on the table, by the way – look at that!”
No doubt the woman was correct, mostly anyway. But what a way to nuke an otherwise perfectly good experience! Instead of which, she could have simply focused on “What’s right with this picture?” It may not have changed the facts: perhaps the restaurant wouldn’t have prepared her salmon differently, and the waiter hadn’t been to their table in 15 minutes, but it certainly would have changed the woman’s experience of the facts.
Let’s see. It was a restaurant, so no food-prep to do or dishes to wash. There was an extensive menu, so lots of choices beyond the salmon. There was a person willing to wait on them. The couple was seated, together, indoors, without masks, which means . . . they could have enjoyed conversing with each other. They could have appreciated the simple fact of getting to be out in the world again, considering our past pandemic year. So much was “right” with their picture!
No matter where you’re at, no matter how you are coming out of your COVID-restricted shell, do your darndest to see “What’s right with this picture.” Your job may have suffered, you may have to adapt to new work circumstances. Your kids may be driving you bonkers with their bickering over changed school arrangements. You may be worried about what your friends will think of all this pandemic-induced weight you’ve gained or lost. You may be confused about how to resume normal family or couple or dating life, and what’s normal now anyway?
We are all in this together, more than ever. One thing I
know for sure, we can all benefit from a healthy dose of “What’s right with
this picture” when we look out at our changed world, our friends and
co-workers, and yes, especially and even—ourselves.
Meet An “Amazing” Who Runs With Joy And Exuberance
Ginette Bedard, at 87, has run in over 350 races, including 44 half-marathons and 20 marathons. Her first was the New York City Marathon in 2002. Given that Ginette only started running at 69, this is truly a phenomenal feat.
She has several record-breaking times to her name and has no plans to stop running. This isn’t surprising given that Ginette runs three hours a day every single day of the year regardless of the weather. One year, her husband (who has since passed), her primary supporter and cheerleader, actually went out and shoveled a path through the snow in the park she likes to run in so Ginette could enjoy her run. Now that’s devotion--both of her spouse--and of Ginette’s dedication to the sport.
For more Amazings, go to https://www.Facebook.com/MeetTheAmazings.
Tuesday, June 15, 2021
Handling Fear - Episode 20
Does fear ever hold you back from asking for that promotion, or exploring that new hobby, or going for a better relationship? Is there a better answer than “Oh, well,” and making do with your current situation? Yes! Find out, in this podcast, how to weed out absurd fears from real ones, and how to respond to real fears so that they no longer stand in the way of your heartfelt desires.
Tuesday, June 1, 2021
Practice Makes Permanent
Remember that motto our elementary school teachers used to say, to hopefully prompt us into better penmanship or math or whatever we weren’t exactly excelling at? “Practice makes perfect!” Yeah, right, like I’d ever master cursive the way my teacher wanted, or math, or science (forget chemistry). Practice made a little dent in things, but “perfect”? Puh-leeze. If anything, it seemed the more I practiced something, the better I got at doing it the way I always did it.
Which is a truth my ballroom dancing instructor brought home to me, quite forcefully, one day. “Practice,” he said, “makes permanent.” Oh, my, now there was a new take on things! Which is why, rather than have me practice endlessly the same thing the same way, he always carefully reviews whatever it is I am learning, so that he can help me make the tweaks and adjustments that will result in the “permanence” desired.
Think about that for a moment. What are you practicing, day in day out? As in doing the same thing the same way all the time. Are you practicing complaining, for example? Or practicing happiness? Are you practicing looking at your kids, your spouse, your boss, your co-workers, your friends, with an appreciative eye? Or with a critical eye? Because whichever you choose, that approach will become permanent, with consequences – intended or not, on your relationships.
My mother, may she rest in peace, used to greet me at the door to her home with comments like “What’s wrong with your hair?” as opposed to “Hi, good to see you.” This, after I was a grown woman, by the way, not a child. I finally came to understand (after many years of therapy and meditation) that my mother’s unyielding and constant criticism was her way of loving me. She wanted me the best for me, and to her, criticizing everything she didn’t think was best for me was how she could accomplish it. Which led to far less interaction with me, and far less intimacy than she would have wished.
But here’s the thing: that’s really the long way round! Since indeed, whatever you practice on a daily basis will shape your reality, including your relationships with others, what would you rather practice? Much as I loved my mother, our relationship would have been far more harmonious and close, if she’d chosen to practice appreciation over criticism.
Pay attention to what you practice. What is your habitual approach to people and situations? If you like your approach, if it brings you joy and satisfaction, great! Your practicing is leading to wonderful “permanence.” But if whatever you practice brings you anything less, then consider practicing something different. Because “practice makes permanent” isn’t just a cute aphorism. It’s a deep and abiding psychological truth.
Indeed!
Make Worry Your Friend (!)
Really? How can worry possibly be a friend, given the rampant anxiety it plunges you into. But yes, used properly, worry is indeed a very valuable friend, which is what you will explore in this podcast: the hows, wheres and whys of your new and powerful friend – worry!
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