What does it mean to “use your voice”?

I bet you don’t realize it, but you use your voice all the time. 

Sometimes it’s a whisper.

Sometimes it’s a shout.

Sometimes it’s a small action.

Sometimes it’s a strong statement.

We use our voices when we...

Today is the last day of warm weather in my neck of the woods.  It’s been a great run, but summer is breathing her last gasp before the cold northern winds blow in.

This morning I was diverted from my normal walking path.  I was in my zone when I came upon a blockade of yellow...

Saturday, I had the pleasure of enjoying my annual fall ritual – apple picking.

I usually go apple picking by myself.  I find it meditative.  I pull my red wagon through the rows of trees, selecting the apples that stand out to me.  There’s nothing like chomping on a...

I was getting my teeth cleaned and the new hygienist asked, “What do you do?”

I answered, “I help stressed-out people pleasers create healthy boundaries and say NO with confidence.”

She replied, “Oh, I could use you.  I’m such a people pleaser. ...

One of my friends was diagnosed with cancer last summer. 

When her friends found out they rallied.  They dropped off meals, sent flowers, and visited.  It was lovely.  Their support was helpful, until it wasn’t. 

The meals kept coming before yesterday’s were...

Can you remember the last time you could not access the internet?

My husband and I went camping in the hills of Pennsylvania last weekend.  We had zero cell service.  For miles.  For days.

It was weird.

Several times I had a question and went to Google the answer, only to remember...

When I was a teenager, I worked for one summer in a factory putting together key fobs.

The fobs consisted of three pieces – a ring, a connector and the rubber fob itself.  The job required me to place the pieces in a machine, twist my wrist, and stomp my foot to release a hammer that...

When I was ten years old, I got glasses.

My eyesight is horrible.  If you were to put my glasses up to your eyes, you would wonder how on earth I can see anything.  That’s because my glasses are adjusted to my eyes, not yours.

We all see through a unique lens based on who we are,...

I overheard a conversation the other day that made me so sad.

Two guys were talking, and one asked the other, “What did you do this weekend?”

“Oh, my wife and I went camping up in Wellsley Island.  It’s just the two of us now, but we enjoy it.  We bought new...

I am on a decluttering mission.

Over the last several years, my husband and I have inherited piles of items from our parents. These items have been collecting dust and taking up space in our basement, garage, and minds.

My parents moved out of state and “gifted” us with items they no...

I received a call from my mom two weeks ago.

She and my dad had an opportunity to go on vacation with their neighbors.  A beautiful house rental, owned by the neighbor’s family friend, was free to use for a week.  They only had to pay for airfare to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

They...

I used to be a runner.  Not the exercise, marathon kind of runner.  No.  I was a runner when it came to conflict.  In a fight or flight situation, I was gone.  Out of there.

It’s taken me a long time and conscious effort to stick around and confront conflict.

...