Weeding Out the Crap
There’s only so much a brain can hold, and mine is frequently on the brink of overflow. Too much to do, too much to think about, too much clutter to look at. It’s hard to think straight with a brain that’s chasing it’s tail all the time.
Weeding Out the Crap helps you whittle life down to the things that matter most — in your head, in your heart, and in your field of vision. Come along with me as I make both our lives easier and more meaningful… one simple step at a time… one weed at the time.
Adapting to Change: Baby Steps
Change happens. I know this and yet… I’m bad at it! Even though I know life requires us to change in big and little ways every day, my brain continues to resist, “Oh no, what now?” The good thing is every time I go through this I remember to remember: where there’s...
Income Tax time: Resistance is Futile!
The left side of my brain is losing power. This is the side that logically puts 2 and 2 together and is currently warring with the side that’s yelling, “Who cares. I’m tired of trying to figure stuff out!” Another income tax season ended yesterday for the Wisemans as...
The Ups and Downs of Travel
I get it. It’s exciting to see new places… to travel and get away from everyday life. New adventures keep your spirit alive! Sadly, new adventures aren’t as appealing to me as they once were. I take way too much time now weighing the pluses and minuses before I jump...
Nature: Calms a Busy Brain
Spending time in nature calms you down and clears your head, making more space for what matters most to you. Seeing this beauty first thing in the morning sure did start my son’s day off on the right foot… or at least in the right direction. Jesse lives close to a...
Writing Stuff: Juggling Important Words
A month is a long time in the blogging world, and it’s been over that since I last posted. Life got busier around here with a new writing project and it feels good to steer my brain in a new direction... to start juggling important words again. My time has switched...
Help in Emerging from Whatever Loss You’ve Endured
Blue Mountain Press took a chance on me 10 years ago, and this beautiful gift book was born. My 10-year anniversary is at hand, and I want to offer up a taste of Emerging from the Heartache of Loss periodically in the coming year. I sat down this week to read it cover...
The Best Yard Sale Ever!
Thrifting is my deal. This brand of treasure hunting gives me a secret little thrill so I do it whenever I can. Tiny shops are really fun, but best of all is an unexpected find at a yard sale. The memory of my own — wild — sale is at the top of “The Best Yard Sale...
From Lowman to Wiseman: What’s in a Name?
What’s in a name? Probably nothing, and Shakespeare would agree. When Juliette posed the question to Romeo, she was telling him she would love him even though his last name was Montague, her family’s sworn enemy. [“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any...
Abortion Rights and the Magnitude of Betrayal
Watching abortion rights go down last week shook me to the core. Watching the Supreme Court trample the rights of half the population it serves was like finding out your husband or your best friend betrayed you. Crushing. My relationship with America seems a lot like...
The Pleasure of Social Dance: Room to Improve
“Relax your shoulders.” “Relax your shoulders.” I heard this comment over and over during my dance lesson on Thursday. You should know by now that I’m an avid social dancer, and every once in a while treat myself to private instruction to improve my game. Seriously, I...
Perspective is Everything: Consider Changing Viewpoints
Me: That’s a perfect ledge to put all his house plants on! Husband: [scowling] Oooh, nooo, I wouldn’t want plants in my face all the time. We’d been helping our son Jesse move into his new place, and I was admiring a sun- drenched ledge in the kitchen. THERE WAS A...
Defrosting Blogging Brain Freeze: Getting Unstuck
Could it be I’ve come down with a case of BBF, Blogging Brain Freeze? Or maybe wisdom has its own timeline. As life gets more complicated, I spend more and more time trying to make every single part of my life simpler. These thoughts are running through my head as I...
Escaping Reality: A Mental Health Must
They say a writer should write about what she knows. And today, what I know is a home project gone long. I was drowning in the constant bad news of the day so I came up with a plan: distract myself with a project: a facelift for the bathroom. Mind you, there’s nothing...
The Olympics Inspires Fitness
Every two years I get pumped up to pump iron. Every two years I get jazzed by watching the best of the best in the stunning display of athletes at the Olympics. And it always winds up with the same old phrase running through my head, “You sit too much. You are a...
“Emerging from the Heartache of Loss” and Pandemic Relief
A reminder never hurts. People have lost so much during the pandemic over the past two years that I feel the need to talk about my book again, Emerging from the Heartache of Loss. People have lost their jobs, their health, social contact, and the freedom to come and...
New Year’s Resolutions Change How Your Life is Going!
Life gets pretty boring if every day is the same. Setting new goals every January re-invigorates me and gives me something new to think about. Even though COVID has us jumping through hoops, we can at least try to improve the way things are going. I know others...
Thinking: The Most Important Work You Do
This old quote from Warren Buffett has me thinking lately, and I mean double-duty thinking! “I insist on a lot of time being spent, almost every day, to just sit and think. That is very uncommon in American business. I read and think. So I do more reading and...
Downsizing: Culling the Closet One Inch at a Time
I’ve donated bushels of clothes over the years, but this time was different. My latest dent in downsizing took me instead to the women’s consignment shop downtown, Re•volve. You wouldn’t think one would need an appointment for this, much less wait two weeks for it,...
That Special Gift of Time: Service vs. Presents
It took him an hour to process all my knives to a perfect edge. I could tell he was enjoying every stroke of every knife that passed through his precision sharpener. Notice the glass of wine in the corner! Best of all, I know my son’s gift of time was lovingly given....
Kite Sparks Sagging Creativity
Wake up, lazy brain! Is anyone in there? My life, along with my brain, has slowed to a crawl so I’ve taken steps to kick my self in the butt! It might be a fanciful idea, but this kite is going to help my creativity take flight! That part of my brain is sorely...
Finding a Treasure Buried in the Clutter: The Price of Birthing
Be wise about de-cluttering. Choose carefully. Cherished memories like this etches a person’s brain. I’ve been spreading the word for 16 years now: simplify, slow down, GET RID OF YOUR STUFF! Luckily, my own husband is slow to get the message because look what he...