Self Care
Small Moments are Not Small
It was the start of the 4th quarter in a highly intense football game. I was sitting at the very last row—the tippy-top —by myself. I like to pace, not sit still when things get stressful so I often sit alone during those kind of games. At one point I looked left...
What Your High School Junior Knows
Dear Parents of High School Juniors, As someone who has the privilege of working with high school students every day, hear me out on this one. Sometimes things are so obvious that we fail to take notice. Please, please, please, stop telling your precious child that...
IYKYK
In March I joined the club no one wants to be in. It’s the club for those who lost a parent. It’s for those with a loss that hits you in your bones, a profound sense of emptiness that only those who have experienced it can understand. You can’t be in it until...
Little word, Big Impact
When is life ever going to go my way? I am sorry, I don’t know that answer. Nothing good ever happens to me. Yet, I replied. What? she asked with complete doubt. Yet, I said. Over the course of the next few months anytime she would say something applicable, I would...
The Longest Shortest 9 Months
We move them in— we move them out. It’s the longest shortest nine months What happens during the dash of drop off and pick up is a different kind of growth. It’s the kind of growth you can’t predict or prepare for and the kind of growth every young person needs....
No Goodbye Is An Easy Goodbye
They prepare you for the first goodbye. You know what to expect and you feel armed with tools to get you through. Lunches with friends, traveling, remodeling a room or two, finding new interests. It helps salve the parent-heart that suddenly feels so lost and...
GREENLIGHT
Matthew McConaughey would call it a GREENLIGHT. In his book (highly recommend!!), he describes a yellow light or red light as something that slows us down– perhaps an interruption, a hardship, a failure, or a disappointment. A GREENLIGHT, though, is a sign to “go,...
2023… My Word for the Year
New year, new word. Last year my word for 2022 was ADVENTURE, and I made sure I lived that word to the fullest. I embraced an empty nest, new experiences, more spontaneity and explored new places with curiosity and wonder. I said yes to scary things and tried to be...
Master being Smart: Lessons Learned in an Uber
Sometimes we are the teacher and sometimes we are the student. Last weekend on my way home from Calgary I took a very early morning Uber to the airport. By coincidence or by fate, I got Hafiz as my driver. Twenty five minutes later, I was dropped off and felt like...
When Life Calls for The Boogie Dance
One of the best things about my job is when I get to be part of unexpected, but very profound, moments in peoples lives. On occasion, I’ve been known to do “the boogie dance” in a session, where I stand up and do a little jitter bug to express my joy in whatever...
