A classmate and her mother were murdered in their home when I was a sophomore in high school, first her mother, who was shot in the basement where they were both were watching tv, then Karol, who was chased up the stairs into the garage […]
All posts filed under: self help
The mouse, the whale, the baby and you
A mouse takes 130 very rapid little mouse breaths per minute and lives for 1 – 3 years. A whale takes 6 whale-sized breaths every minute and lives to be around 100. It almost makes you think breathing long and slow might be a very […]
Just tell me
A dagger and a boule of bread have been placed on the table. The room is unusually quiet; this is not the standard set-up and it does not go unnoticed. When it’s time, we hear the sharp, clip clip clip as Mildred Bensmiller’s practical, medium-heel pumps […]
Ice cream genius
I’m in love with systems. They make things run smoothly that otherwise would bog down or not go off at all. And what I love most of all is the way they save us when we’re not inherently good at something. That’s when we need […]
The long goodbye
Tactical error. I was already halfway across the street, essentially committed to crossing, when I saw the little old lady. Blast. Another person had already claimed that sidewalk. And what’s more, because she was trundling along so slowly while pulling a little red suitcase down the […]
Cocoa Restaurant, part II
After our fun, we get down to business. We are working in the modality of Internal Family Systems (IFS), the only approach that has ever gotten close to truly straightening anything out. All the others — cognitive behavioral, dialectical behavioral, straight-up talk therapy, biofeedback — […]
Cocoa restaurant. All are welcome
A hand-crafted sign is taped on the door to Jonette’s office: Cocoa Restaurant Come in! We have bathrooms! Electronics allowed! This is the artwork of one of Jonette’s clients, most of whom are under the age of 10. Except me. At the age of 55 […]
Wildlife
There’s a part of me as cagey as a cobra silly as a seal dingy as a dodo and sneaky as a fox. There’s a part of me as jumpy as a frog squirrley as a squirrel twitchy as a rabbit and stubborn as an […]
Velvet’s threshold
Part I She held herself like a queen, not in a haughty way, just in full possession of her silly 17-year-old self. Only 4 years older than Velvet myself but nonetheless the teacher of her in my Drama 3/4 class, it took a few weeks […]
Clown car
Lobster pie and wild mushroom risotto were on my mind as I set off early Saturday morning on my standard weekend walk, heading for downtown. Kerry and Bruce had just been to Fiddlehead’s, glorying in their luck at catching these specials, limited edition, so I aimed to […]
Funny paycheck
“You look happy.” I had to say it. He was using his big round belly as a table for three Werther’s Originals as he lounged back in the Adirondack chair, looking content to a degree you rarely see. “I am,” he said, a middle-age poster child […]
Coherence
We’re sitting in a small room in the medical practice, a drop-in group therapy session. I’m dropping in for the first time to check this out. I’ve recently had a stumble after years of solid mental health, brought on by a good shove from life. […]
Be cool. 