Being retired has given me the time, space, and energy to face things that my professional life enabled me to avoid. My garden shed is clean after years of harboring spiders and other creepy crawlies that were never disturbed. My basement is looking pretty spiffy too. But the hardest things to face have been two …
I shared at the end of July that my wife had encouraged me to let go of my long to-do list and focus on doing things that felt right to me. On one hand, I thought the woman had lost her mind. But on the other hand, I wondered what it would be like to …
When people ask me about how I am coping with retirement, I often say I’m doing well and list off the things I am doing to stay busy, such as cycling, swimming, gardening, and taking care of our home. Each day starts with a to-do list that is extensive. It has come to my attention …
Today, I had the gift of spending time with a former colleague from the rape crisis center where I had previously been the Clinical Director. The conversation shifted at one point to my decision to leave my position there. I spoke to my reality at the time; worn down by cancer and treatment, I could …
“It is finished.” The final words of Jesus are being spoken today all over the world in Christian gatherings on this Good Friday. They have always seemed to be such powerful words to me. For many faithful Christians, it is an important turning point in Jesus’ mission on earth. He had this hard path to …
It has been common lately to hear the question, “How do you feel about your retirement coming up?” I never know quite how to respond to the question because the answer, like most human experiences, brings up such complex and multifaceted thoughts and feelings. The truth is I feel… Amazed: How did I live long …
Looking at my calendar this morning, I realized that my therapy career will come to a close exactly three months from today. And on that day, I will step away from a core component of my life for the past thirty-nine years. It all seems so surreal to me. First, I never thought I would …
It’s ironic to me that therapists work so diligently with their clients to honor and embrace themselves. And yet, like the rest of the planet we experience self-abandonment. I observe it in my clients who are therapists. I observe it in the therapists with whom I clinically consult. I observe it in me. How do …
Worthiness. It is such a tricky concept in our society. Athletes. Celebrities. Well known activists that work on behalf of the poor or climate change. We might be tempted to assign them a level of worthiness based on their achievements. Worthiness is one of those things that morphs into social comparison. That person has or …
Many of my dear readers know that I facilitate a therapy group named Live Brave. Every other Wednesday evening, this band of brave souls gather together to explore what it means to live a brave and authentic life. This past week, we dug into what it means to belong versus what it means to fit …
