“All our crises, blockages, petrification and helplessness point to one thing and one thing only: our terrifying inability to bear the truth about ourselves.” (roughly translated) Lavinia Bârlogeanu, Rătăciți in Labirint Unless you consciously and lavishly serve your brain frightening fare before sleep by watching “Psycho” or “The Shining” (or both, a perfectly designed combination for …
Under Social Scrutiny: Parents Rejected by Their Children
“Beliefs about how much parents influence their children’s development are pervasive and oversimplified. Because of ideals of unconditional love within the mother-child development, those who speak up about adult children who estrange themselves are often judged, or even shunned.” Sheri McGregor, Done with the Crying What would you do if you came across an angel …
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The Truth in Our Hearts
“The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage.” Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War “I want the truth!” shouts the young lawyer, punching the air with his right fist, driven to expose the colonel in the witness chair – no matter the cost. “You can’t handle the truth!” shouts back the …
Enjoying Food, Unapologetically
“It doesn’t matter what you eat if you don’t include who is eating – body, mind and soul. Your whole self matters.” Tery Mosey, The Hidden Messages in Food If you operate on autopilot in many of your social interactions, you’re definitely from this planet. You must therefore have a shiny collection of time-tested, safe, …
Estrangement – When Blood Is Not Thicker Than Water
“While many say that finding compassion for those who hurt them is one of the hardest things they’ve ever done, others discover that it’s freeing in ways they hadn’t imagined. It binds them to a common humanity where we are all in some measure flawed, torn, and hurt. And dying for understanding.” Joshua Coleman, Rules …
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The Power of Language in Self-Discovery
“He gave man speech, and speech created thought, Which is the measure of the universe.” P. B. Shelley, Prometheus Unbound I’ll never forget the day when I, a 26-year-old woman with wavy hair flowing past my mid-back, sat on the lady barber’s chair and asked her to shave off my hair, à la Kojak (to …
Honouring Our Body, Honouring Our Life
“Have you seen the fool that corrupted his own live body?” Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass “What in the world is the matter with you? I just don’t get it. I’ve had your back since day one, OK? I’ve done my best to get your attention: whispering, muttering, speaking, rambling, shouting, screaming, sometimes in such …
Controlling Parents – Reclaiming Unconditional Love
“How we feel about our kids isn’t as important as how they experience those feelings and how they regard the way we treat them.” Alfie Kohn, Unconditional Parenting “I don’t have any regrets.” Some people make this remark, more often than not with an air of absolute certainty and self-sufficiency as if they belonged to …
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Our Shoulds – The Thorns in Our Side
“The realisation of any present shortcomings is unbearable for anybody harassed by dictatorial shoulds,” Karen Horney, Neurosis and Human Growth “You mustn’t put chewing gum in your sister’s hair.” I remember saying that to my little son, along with a series of explanations why his sister’s hair was not the best place to land that …
Estrangement: Parents Living With the Pain
“If your kids are unable to see you as worthy of love, acceptance, and forgiveness, then you have to find redemption in that small crack in the continuum of catastrophe, as Walter Benjamin put it.” James Coleman, Rules of Engagement “So, how’s your daughter doing?” I asked my new acquaintance behind the wheel of her …
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