“To live without regret is to believe we have nothing to learn, no amends to make, and no opportunity to be braver with our lives.” This line from Brene Brown’s Atlas of the Heart has been sitting with me lately. As I celebrate 5 years of sober, mindful living and I believe that regret played Read More
Category: Addiction
Weekend Book Review: Drinking Games
Drinking Games by Sarah Levy My rating: 4 of 5 stars Genre: Memoir/Quit Lit Edition Reviewed: Audiobook, narrated by author, produced by MacMillan Audio Expected publication: January 3rd 2023 by St. Martin’s Press Drinking Games by Sarah Levy is an honest deep-dive into the life of a problem-drinker-turned-sober Millennial. In it, she describes not only Read More
Self-Destruction
It’s amazing to me that, while our bodies possess hundreds of survival adaptations, we also carry within us tendencies to self destruct. Physiological and biological processes, along with instinctual behaviors, increase our longevity or help us adapt to changing circumstances. A flight or flight response is triggered when the body senses threat. Fat storage commences Read More
Weekend Book Review: The Untethered Soul
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself Author: Michael A. Singer Genre: Self-Help, Spirituality Page Length: 186 pages, auidiobook is 6 hours, 10 minutes Publisher/Publication Date: New Harbinger Publications, Oct. 3, 2007 “There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind – you are the Read More
Weekend Book Review: The Storyteller
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave GrohlFormat: Hardback Pages: 387 Genre: Memoir My rating: 5 of 5 stars “When your heart, mind, and soul cannot control or refuse the desire to create a sound, or lyric, or rhythm, and you are helpless against the burning impulse to purge these inner demons, you Read More
What Not to Say
I recently attended a gathering with extended family, many of whom I’d not spoken to in years. A lot of families find themselves lives and miles apart, once the matriarch and patriarch have passed away, and mine is no exception. When we do get together, conversations often feel arbitrary or surface; how do two people Read More
Begin at the End
Endings are often beginnings. Saying goodbye opens a door. Walking away means walking toward An over-due death yields a life reborn. Why do we cling to what needs releasing? Grasping tightly with blind might When we know that it is darkness, and what we deserve is light. Why do we fall into the wrong patterns Read More
When Habit becomes Addiction
One of the inevitable side effects of coming through the other side of a traumatic experience or chronic condition is that you tend to rehash and try to make sense of it all. Was I that bad? Did I almost die? Am I lucky to be alive? How much time was wasted by this horrible Read More
Freedom is Not a Moment, But a Gift
I lead a life of privilege in the sense that my physical freedom is not in jeopardy. Enslavement, incarceration, domestic abuse, or other forms of captivity are not my experience to share. I do know how it feels to live in mental captivity, a slave to my own thoughts and actions, and the accompanying feeling Read More
Owning our Story
“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing we’ll ever do. We own our stories so we don’t spend our lives being defined by them or denying them. And while the journey is long and difficult at times, it is the path to living a more wholehearted life.” Brené Brown Read More