We are heading into the darkest days of the year. When everything outside is bedding down for the winter, the sun shines only a few hours a day, and we spend our evenings artificially lit. Amongst all the traveling and logistics and decorating and merchandising, this is actually the time for going inwards, for slowing…
I’d say decorate for Christmas, but really people keep so many things packed away and only bring them out for the holidays. Favorite decorations, special recipes, entertainment rituals, and family gripes, issues and all around sniping. What I find interesting and sometimes amusing is that totally rational, fully function, full-grown adults who get along, most…
For centuries people have debated which is more important and more efficacious: grace from a higher power or doing good works. The issues are complicated and philosophers and theologians have built whole careers around trying to argue the pros and cons so I won’t try to solve the conundrum in one post. However this question…
Good, bad, indifferent or ugly, ’tis the season where we deal with family. Issues, behaviors, expectations, quirks and just being with each other. Now’s the time. Questions abound like how to be together, when to be together, do we have to be together and the answers and how we get there are a psychological road…
So is it Christmas now or in December? I know for the retailers Christmas began November 1 and I had somewhat of a tizzy about it. Bell ringers showed up at the stores around November 15th and were saying “Merry Christmas” while people were shopping for Thanksgiving meals. I know the economy is bad but…
There are a lot of musical instruments out there and a lot of ways to make music or sound. I love music in a great variety of forms as my Ipod will attest. Music stirs our emotions, sets moods, helps us through hectic days, moves our bodies and soothes our souls. The sounds and music…
The biggest boundary violation of all, taking away someone’s free will. Most people think of this in the most dramatic or idealistic of examples such as imprisonment like Guantanamo or prison. But taking away free will happens every day in the most mundane situations. And most often due to good intentions. You want to help…
It’s happening again and since I spent four hours yesterday doing something with my computer that should have taken 30 minutes, I thought this would be a good time to talk about it. But I’m not an expert on the subject so here’s an excellent description of what’s going on from CafeAstrology.com: What is Mercury…
While we like to teach children coping mechanisms by giving them a rhyme about sticks and stones, words have an amazing amount of power. If you don’t believe me, just watch any self-help show or the latest episode of Biggest Loser. Why would we need someone to confess to a crime or to admit that…