Action is a very odd concept. We take action every day of our lives (at least, if we get out of bed), and yet it is something we often struggle with. Committing to a course of action can be both exhilarating and terrifying. Google "action" and "fear" together and you'll find countless pages teaching you … Continue reading #BlogElul 2: Act
Category: Blogging
#BlogElul 1: Prepare
It's here! It's here! Today is the first day of the Hebrew month of Elul, and once again, Rabbi Phyllis Sommer has generously provided us with a template for reflection and growth. The High Holy Days are just a month away, and there is lots of spiritual work to be done. This is my fourth … Continue reading #BlogElul 1: Prepare
You Are Not Broken
I've been reading various articles indicting "the diet industry" of profiting from the misery of people, especially women, who believe they are broken and need to be fixed. I was definitely one of those women, and I wasted far too much of my time and money on diets, starting from when I was a teenager. … Continue reading You Are Not Broken
Talking About Commitment
I met a guy at a networking meeting almost two years ago. As we chatted, he bemoaned the fact that he had trouble committing to regular physical activity. Without thinking much about it, I offered to have him text me every time he took a walk. I now have over 500 texts from him on … Continue reading Talking About Commitment
Saying Goodbye to My Childhood Home
This is the house my parents built in Hofit, Israel, in 1970. I call it my childhood home because I spent more of my childhood there than in any of the other places we lived - Silver Spring, MD, New Providence, NJ, and Los Angeles, CA, are the main ones I can remember. I lived … Continue reading Saying Goodbye to My Childhood Home
On Sending a Child to Summer Camp
I never went to summer camp – that is not something that people do in Israel. When I was little, I went to day camp in the next village over, and I remember making crafts and singing songs and going to the beach. Fun, but hardly life-changing. Here in Manitoba, the attitude towards summer camp … Continue reading On Sending a Child to Summer Camp
Ode to a Bamboo
This winter I took an organisation course – a weekly webinar with the wonderful Susan Sly, in which she walked a group of us through various steps of getting our lives and businesses under control. Among other things, she told us to turn our desks away from the wall, and to put a few … Continue reading Ode to a Bamboo
Thoughts on Mother’s Day
Let’s start by declaring that Mother’s Day is not a Hallmark holiday, despite the fact that it is the darling of card-makers, chocolatiers and jewelers. It began in the 1850s in West Virginia, where the mother of Anna Jarvis, who is generally credited with the establishment of Mother’s Day, held Mother’s Day groups to fight … Continue reading Thoughts on Mother’s Day
I Survived Passover!
It's that time of year again! Once again, Passover has gone through my house and my life like a whirlwind, and now it is gone. Last year I wrote for the first time about the effects of eight days of living on matzah, with eggs, cheese and fish as my prime protein sources. I probably … Continue reading I Survived Passover!
Dealing with Emotional Eating
If you are anything like me, you turn to food in times of joy, sorrow, boredom, fatigue, anger, or pretty much any time you feel like you need something to change how you feel. Some of this is cultural – every holiday has its own traditional foods, and we wouldn’t want to have it any … Continue reading Dealing with Emotional Eating