Image by Hands off my tags! Michael Gaida from Pixabay If you follow me at all, you have heard me talk about Mel Robbins and her excellent coaching. She has just come out with a new book called The High 5 Habit, and it’s all about getting ourselves through difficult times by self-encouragement (symbolised by … Continue reading You Are Not Broken
Remember the Rainbow
Image Daniel Roberts - Pixabay It’s been a rough few weeks around here. This time of year, with its closely-spaced major holidays, is always intense for anyone who takes Judaism seriously, but this year, our second pandemic holiday season, has been particularly exhausting. Throw in an election that really highlighted the divisions in our community, … Continue reading Remember the Rainbow
Gimme Shelter
It’s September, and in the Jewish holiday calendar, we are now at Sukkot, the Feast of Booths. Sukkot is a time when we re-enact our agrarian roots - building a flimsy shelter outside our homes (in warm places, people actually sleep there - we are lucky if we can eat all of our meals in … Continue reading Gimme Shelter
Are You Easily Offended?
Image by chezbeate from Pixabay It’s that time of year - what’s known as the High Holy Days. We had Rosh HaShanah last week, and this week we are going into Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement. It’s our second one in the pandemic, so it will be different, but it’s an opportunity for … Continue reading Are You Easily Offended?
Renew Our Days
If you are paying any attention to the Jewish calendar, you know that the Days of Repentance are upon us - a whole marathon of holidays taking up most of the month of Tishrei, starting right after Labour Day this year. It is an annual opportunity to do some cheshbon nefesh, or accounting of the … Continue reading Renew Our Days
About Persistence
Image by Nikolett Afra from Pixabay If you follow me on social media, you will know that I took a spill last Thursday while out for a run. Inattention is definitely something that gets me into trouble sometimes, and I’m sure many of you can relate. Thankfully, it’s not a big deal - I didn’t … Continue reading About Persistence
Stress is a Form of Fear
Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay Lately I’ve been listening to Louise Hay as I run, and I was really struck by her statement that stress is a form of fear. If you stop and think about it, it’s true - if we are feeling stress, it is highly likely that we are dealing with some … Continue reading Stress is a Form of Fear
Creating Others in Our Own Image
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Psychology has this amazing concept called projection. There are quite a few definitions of it, but my favourite is the concept that what irritates you in other people is probably something that you need to work on in yourself. Ouch! I don’t like that reminder either … but it’s … Continue reading Creating Others in Our Own Image
Are You a Catastrophizer?
Image by Anand Kumar from Pixabay Are you the kind of person who goes from “it’s getting late and the person hasn’t called” to looking up hospitals online, in the blink of an eye? Do you think you might not have done well on an exam, and conclude that you will never get a job … Continue reading Are You a Catastrophizer?
The Story of Grief
Image by Dariusz Sankowski from Pixabay Life is about stories - we are the story-telling animal. The gift of language is the one thing that truly sets us apart from the rest of Creation. While other creatures certainly communicate with one another, we seem to be the only ones who tell stories. In fact, we … Continue reading The Story of Grief