"What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing: it also depends on what sort of person you are.” C.S. Lewis, The Magicians Nephew
"Accepting oneself does not preclude an attempt to become better." Flannery O'Connor I consistently struggle with knowing when to accept something about myself as opposed to when to push myself a little harder. As a general rule, I fail to accept pretty much anything as immutable and tend to be somewhat self-critical. Over the past few years in particular, I have spent considerable time discovering the value of knowing myself better in order to build a life structured upon my own nature rather than fighting against it. And in many ways this has allowed me to better understand what I really like or want and to care less about what…
I am absolutely pumped about the fact that it is officially spring AND feels like it outside! Although summer is decidedly my favorite, I am happy with pretty much anything that doesn't closely resemble winter, so no snow on the ground and above freezing temperatures has been a welcome change after a long, cold winter. The crocuses and tulips my grandfather planted at our house over 20 years ago are all coming up and serve as beautiful sign of better days to come. As we start to work on things outside the house, I know that I would really like to be able to preserve those perennials as
We are officially homeowners now! And we celebrated with a big home improvement and décor shopping trip with my sister and her boyfriend over the weekend after attending the Detroit Auto Show the day before. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE looking at (and who am I kidding - buying) home styling things, but often struggle to just get started in the decision making process. It feels like such a commitment to pick bedding, a new light fixture, a paint color, or… pretty much anything! The possibilities so quickly seem to go from endless to narrow with one decision on a "statement" item. Anyway, this time around I was actually quite pleased with…
Being back in my hometown after so many years is very strange. While some of the streets, stores, and faces are of course familiar, there has been A LOT which has changed. The city has definitely been in growth mode over the past 10+ years and my once or twice annual pilgrimages hardly gave me the opportunity to see all that was new each year, not to mention the cumulative effect. Everything is familiar, but little is the same. Grand Rapids is all grown up now. And although I kind
For me, and many others as I understand it, getting started really is half the battle. Whether it's due to perfectionistic tendencies and anxiety about making a wrong first step (me) or some other variety of procrastination, just getting going can be a big hurdle to overcome. I have written a few times (here and here) about what is referred to as "tomorrow" logic or our tendency to discount what we do today because we are going to do XYZ tomorrow. When we think about our future selves, we typically see them as more virtuous and superior to who and what we are today, which t
HAPPY NEW YEAR!! As one of thosetypes of people who always loves any chance for a fresh start, I especially love a brand new year and usually try to capitalize on the psychological advantages that the blank slate provides. And in light of all that's going on this year with the big move back across the pond, becoming homeowners and settling into life in Grand Rapids - it feels like this year is especially turbocharged! However, although I am a resolutions and habit fanatic, I know that many others are decidedly not. And because there are as many different perspectives on goal setting and resolutions as there are individuals out…
If you could have any superpower what would it be? According to a quick Google search - the most common responses are usually superhuman agility, the ability to fly, being able to read minds, invisibility, superhuman intelligence or immortality. On a slightly more practical level, many people seem to wish that they were blessed with the ability to be in more than one place at the same time or that they always had the right words to say. As a general rule, I'm not a big fan of these kinds of questions (which is the reason why the daily brainstorming sessions are still going strong to stimulate my creativity and levity!),…
Happy Thanksgiving - one of my favorite holidays of all! It's one that brings people together simply for the purpose of being together and reflecting on the many things that we have to be grateful for. In light of our rapidly approaching date of departure, we celebrated our third annual Irish Friendsgiving a little early this year and today I am enjoying a less hectic day of work with a lot of packing on the side. Moving, as stressful and onerous as it can be, always presents a great opportunity to reassess one's possessions and eliminate or reduce clutter - something I genuinely enjoy. And it provides the opportunity to…
Stress is a crazy thing. There are million and one proverbs, clichés and admonitions about how going through times of trial and tribulation bring out one's true colors or show what someone is made of. And while that's all true, valuable, and potentially reassuring - it often doesn't feel like it (or like it matters) in the moment, nor do I always like to be reminded of that fact. I've mentioned before that my own personal, very unattractive natural tendency when I am out of time, patience, or energy is to become a "dictatorial steamroller." Since I am aware of this proclivity, I try to pay attention to the times…
