You may have seen my post on facebook where I shared that I received Brene Brown’s Daring Greatly in the mail. I’m certain that I’ll be writing about it soon. It’s that good.
I’ve only just begun the book but the first chapter is rooted in a topic that, as a leader and a fundraiser, I spent a lot of time absorbing. Continue reading
As moms and dads, of course we want the best for our kids. We want to be the best parent and provide the best learning experiences and the best fun and the best food and we want them to have the best friends and read the best books and be the best. We want our kids to have the best. lives. ever. Continue reading
When my oldest son was in preschool, I always measured the quality of the day by the amount of dirt he had on him. This, for example, was a very good day…
While I am not a particularly dirty person (my type A personality does not naturally allow it), I do understand the value of dirt for a child… Continue reading
While enjoying a day at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, we stumbled across a thought-provoking outdoor exhibit called NOTICE: A Flock of Signs in the 100 Acres. The barrage of signs are described as ‘deliberately perplex, misdirect, and even contradictory.’ Well, that sounds a whole lot like life, don’t you think? Continue reading
Philosophically, authenticity is the degree to which one is true to their own personality, spirit, or character, despite external pressures.
Are you too busy to take the 5 minutes it will take to read this blog post? If so, you aren’t alone. And I will add that if you are too busy to read about busyness, you might be in a place you might not want to be. Continue reading
Have you read one parenting book after another yet feel overwhelmed with advice on discipline, potty training, sleep routines and food regimens? So many times the challenge with the books available to us is that they assume that we, as the moms, are wholly prepared to implement the advice given. But how can we be when we are tired, frustrated, overwhelmed, and unsure and cannot find a single moment of calm in our minds?
Sarah Napthali has found a much-needed niche in Buddhism for Mothers. Rather than add another parenting manual to the shelves, Continue reading
Today, I am excited for you to hear from Brené Brown, a brave woman who fought a year-long scientific “slug-fest” with vulnerability. She has spent more than a decade studying vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame.
I found it fascinating that, through her research on vulnerability, she sought to control and predict (the very definition of research) but instead her research showed that she needed to stop controlling and predicting… Continue reading
I don’t ever want to be a vegetable. I’m not ready to die. I certainly don’t want to lose my husband. Honestly, I don’t even want to ever think about such things. Imagining any of them is too painful and it’s much easier if I don’t. Until I think about what would happen if I didn’t. And so I do… Continue reading
In remembrance of the September 11th attacks, I am posting a speech I was asked to give as the student response to the Purdue University community. It’s hard to believe that was twelve years ago. I will never forget being my sister staying up all night, helping me to desperately find the right words. I’m not sure what I would have done without her and my husband (boyfriend at the time), sharing their insights and ideas which shaped the text below. I remember being terrified to go on stage, thinking that there may be a hundred or maybe two hundred in attendance. Imagine what happened when I learned there were 6,000 faces out there (not to mention the television and radio audience). Yes…I puked. And I remember a voice in my head saying that my feelings and anxiety were incomparable to those directly affected by the attacks. I remember thinking, “this is not about me,” and experiencing a sense of calm as I took the stage. Each year on this day, I dig this out to remember and reflect, to honor those lost and those left and to hope for better in our children’s futures.
Text of speech by Purdue student Erin Taylor, student leader, to those attending the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance memorial service Friday (9/14) at the Elliott Hall of Music on the West Lafayette campus… Continue reading