Let’s Rethink This
A tuneup for self-talk I haven’t been my best friend lately In fact, if I had a friend who behaved toward me the way I’ve been treating myself recently, I’d tell her to piss off and come back when she’d fixed her attitude. Outwardly, I’m a very nice person. I’m confident that most people who…
Not the Dog Story I Wanted to Tell
Good intentions, meet limitations It was a rough week in our house On Thursday, we were full of excitement, hope, and nerves. Taking on a new dog meant changing our placid household dynamics — since we had to say goodbye to our beloved dog Molly in September, it’s just been my husband and me along…
The Drop-in Support Group for Endangered Persons in Idaho
We’re running out of chairs Good evening everyone! Let’s get started Therapist: I’m your group facilitator, Mason Meanswell, PsyD, Ph.D., LCSW, MFT, BFD. For those of you who are here for the first time, make yourselves comfortable. Sorry we’re a little crowded! Maybe some of you regulars — law enforcement folks, armed services members, medical…
Stop Speaking GOAT
You’re not still saying that, are you? This year’s Banished Words list is out Actually, it’s been out since New Year’s Eve, but if you’re still using banished words, the year is young. Now that the Super Bowl is behind us, we can focus our energy on clearing up our communication. Jargon, buzzwords, nonsense terms,…
She Meant it as a Compliment, But . . .
It’s what you’d say to an old lady Here’s how it went down I was leaving the store just as she was entering. A dark-haired woman, attractive, probably in her late 30s or early 40s. She swept in through the double doors on a gust of energy and fresh air, her companion, another woman, trailing her.…
What’s Better Than a Dog Story?
101 dog stories, on sale now! It’s fun to share good news You’ve seen and probably read at least one of the 250-plus Chicken Soup for the Soul books that have been published since the first one was released in 1993. And now my stories appear in one! Started by motivational speakers Jack Canfield and…
How To Tell A Woman From A Cow
A handy guide for Idaho’s Republican legislators January is a bleak month in Idaho. The holidays are over and most days are gloomy. Commuters, like vampires, emerge from their homes before sunrise and return after sunset. Schoolchildren stand shivering in the dark at their morning bus stops. Thankfully, the January tedium is disrupted every year…
I Wrote The Story That Scares Me
And today, it’s out in the world The most personal essay I’ve ever written is now public As of today, my story is live in HuffPost Personal. It’s the most difficult thing I’ve ever written, because it’s also the closest to me. The most painful. It’s full of things I found hard to reveal and hard…
I Know What I Want
Santa, if you’re listening . . . I want — make that need — an elastic clock Not a watch with a stretchy wristband. Not even a smartwatch, because I’ve already got one that tells me the time — the objective time, that is — anywhere in the world. It also tells me what the…