worthiness
Hopes for Myself as a Mother

Hopes for Myself as a Mother

It’s an odd place to get parenting advice, but the best story regarding mothering I ever heard was from Penn Jillette on Marc Maron’s podcast WTF. Penn talked about how his mother’s philosophy was that she loved and cherished her children for who they were, from the...

Holding Shadows: Forgiveness and Acceptance of the Past

Holding Shadows: Forgiveness and Acceptance of the Past

I'm pleased to offer this piece by guest writer, James Day Leavitt. (photo credit: Siobhán Butler) I imagine my past as a long hallway, with doors along each side of the corridor. Behind some doors are my difficult experiences. Things I don’t want to see anymore. ...

Becoming Self-Assured: It’s Helpful, Not Selfish

Becoming Self-Assured: It’s Helpful, Not Selfish

Being self-assured yields kindness and contentment. This is contrary to what most of us were taught, and yet I’m increasingly sure that it is true. This is why, in my recent post about being self-assured, I questioned the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary about words...

What Does it Mean to Be Self-Assured?

What Does it Mean to Be Self-Assured?

Can being self-assured help us to go boldly into unknown life territory? This is a question I've been thinking about lately. But what does it mean to be self-assured? To me, it seems like a very desirable quality, something to cultivate in oneself and in our children....

Can EMDR Help Me Change an Old Pattern?

Can EMDR Help Me Change an Old Pattern?

Tomorrow I will be a guest on the internet radio program Growing Up Chaotic to discuss EMDR and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It's at 7pm EST and I hope you will listen. As a result, I've got EMDR on the brain. I've been using this type of therapy with many of my...

There is No Failure

There is No Failure

I believe that failure is an unhelpful concept. I'm not even convinced it's a real thing. In my mind, it belongs in the category of make-believe creatures along with unicorns, dragons, and the Easter Bunny. Recently, Seth Godin (marketing genius and writer whose...

Perfection: The Really Cute, Organized, Put-Together BULLY

Perfection: The Really Cute, Organized, Put-Together BULLY

This is not my laundry closet. I believe what I have is more appropriately called a laundry dungeon. Still, I do love pictures of tidy, sparkling cupboards, "mud" rooms, and, of course, closets. My house doesn't look like one of these very lovely Pinterest images and...

I Wonder

I Wonder

I don't have the answer. I really don't think there is one answer to most complicated human questions. Often there are many steps that lead us towards better outcomes. This is true on the individual level and I think it must be true on the societal level as well. When...

Why I Hate Procrastination

Why I Hate Procrastination

Procrastination is not about being lazy. It is not about being complacent. In fact, most procrastinators care very much about how things turn out. Procrastination is a way to avoid the fear of failure until the last possible moment. Then we say, "Oh, of course I did...