This week I’ve spent hours working on finalizing a query letter for publishers and literary agents, as well as shaping a 1-2-page synopsis of my first manuscript. I approached this task in my usual methodical way. I researched writing queries and synopses. As so often happens, I found lots of advice, much of it conflicting. The tension around putting our creative efforts into the world; why are we living the life we're living?| Harvesting Stones
A reader commented on my last post, asking me what I thought about obedience. What a great question! According to Online Oxford Dictionary, obedience is “compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority.” Before we continue, let me make clear this is not a religious discussion. I know obedience is an Exploring obedience; is it a good thing we should all practice| Harvesting Stones
#post_contentSchool violence and school reunions; memories of high school| Harvesting Stones
I’ve struggled all my life with confusion about the difference between enabling and love. Most of us think of enabling in the context of addiction, and we’re familiar with the idea that helping an addict avoid the consequences of their addiction is not, in the long run, useful. It’s a pretty clear idea in theory. Enabling: what it is, why we do it, and why it doesn't work| Harvesting Stones
This week’s post is suspended between two stories. The first one is the old Greek myth of Sisyphus. Sisyphus was a crafty and deceitful king who craved complete power. In his pursuit of power, he offended many men and gods and was eventually punished by being sent to the underworld and forced to roll a The problems with trying too hard| Harvesting Stones
#post_contentExploring the benefits of boredom| Harvesting Stones
I’ve been listening to a Sounds True production of Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes talk about Seeing in the Dark. I’ve listened to it before, but not for some years, and not since I developed a daily practice of sitting and breathing. She suggests that a practice, whether it be meditation, prayer, or whatever else, is Becoming friendly with our most intense feelings; allowing ourselves the fullness of experience| Harvesting Stones
One of my first posts on this blog was about saying no . As I learned emotional intelligence and began applying it to my life, I started to understand how imprisoned I'd been by my inability to say no. In the interests of full disclosure, let me report saying no in the context of long-term Why it's so important to be free to say yes or no and the cost of retaining our power to do so| Harvesting Stones
#post_contentWhat is gaslighting and what does it look like?| Harvesting Stones
#post_contentThinking about labels and the experience and feeling behind them| Harvesting Stones
#post_contentDisempowering women around self-defense| Harvesting Stones
#post_contentSeparating power from money| Harvesting Stones
#post_contentExploring the power of forgiveness| Harvesting Stones
I recently came across an article in my newsfeed describing several ways in which parents can help kids develop mental strength.| Harvesting Stones
I’d love to be one of those serene, appropriately disciplined (as opposed to compulsive or utterly feckless) people who achieve an effective, useful, consistent morning routine. I’m not. Even during what I think of as “normal” times when my life was structured predictably by work and other obligations and activities, my morning schedule varied. Now, Stillness as An antidote to speeding and anxiety| Harvesting Stones
I'm getting ready to turn over the manuscript of my first book to a developmental editor. Getting ready means I'm doing one final read through and combing out overused words and phrases using the search (and destroy) feature in my word processor. Over the months and years I've been working with my book and mastering All the ways our culture teaches women to make themselves small| Harvesting Stones
I read a quote from Instagram last weekend from wetheurban: Stop looking for happiness in the same place you lost it. Ever since I read it, I’ve been turning it over in my mind. To be happy is to feel or show pleasure or contentment, according to Oxford Online Dictionary. This simple little sentence from Exploring happiness with the help of Martin Seligman; how happy is happy?| Harvesting Stones
One of the most important distinctions I’ve ever learned is the difference between thoughts and feelings. Sadly, I didn’t learn it in public school or higher education. I didn’t learn it from my family. I didn’t learn it from my culture. I didn’t learn it, in fact, until I was 50 years old. What I Separating out thoughts from our feelings; recognizing they may not reflect present reality; taking responsibility for our feeling lives without blaming others| Harvesting Stones
#post_contentUnderstanding and recognizing the power of needs| Harvesting Stones
This post has been simmering in the back of my mind for some while. I’ve taken my time approaching it because it seems to be something of a landmine for some people. In simplest terms, to be grateful is to be thankful. It’s easy to be thankful for the things we enjoy and that make The healing power of gratitude for the good, the bad, and the ugly| Harvesting Stones
Managing expectations and recognizing how limited they are| Harvesting Stones
Is emotional intelligence training for you? Reasons not to do it.| Harvesting Stones
Unusually, I’ve struggled the last couple of weeks to find something I wanted to write about for this post. At times I feel so heavily weighted with grief, fear, and despair about our world (and I mean our to include all people, all species, all life on this lovely, feverish planet suspended in the cool Which gods do we follow? What do they demand? Are they taking us home?| Harvesting Stones