This hash-tag has gained prominence lately in the political realm to denote women who are standing up to blatant sexism in the halls of Congress and persisting despite attempts by colleagues to silence them on the floor and in various hearings. Most notably it has been applied to Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris, the former after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell used the phrase to explain why he took action against her. Gleefully, it has been co-opted by feminists eve

“What you resist, persists. What you focus on, expands.” Mother Teresa once famously said she would never attend an anti-war protest, but hold a rally for peace and she would be in the front row. (I’m paraphrasing.) I have spent a great deal of my life focusing on what was wrong – with me, with my life, with other people, the system, the world. When I was diagnosed with cancer, I began being exposed to ideas that shook the very foundation of the way I see the world. It is so

I am so fortunate to have been a part of many welcoming communities in my life. From the Friends Club which made my high school years bearable to the sorority that was my home away from home in college, the Girl Scout camp that gave me a radically different perspective on life when I worked there after college, the AOII consultant group affectionately termed “The Nine” with whom I traveled across North America for a year, the larger fraternity/sorority community that I have b

Going back for the 35 year reunion of the Girl Scout camp I attended as a kid and worked at for three years after college reminded me of how much that job embraced play in all its myriad forms. We sang before meals, after meals, during meals, while washing the dishes (about washing the dishes) and made games out of so many of the tasks that had to get done everyday. When we weren’t doing that, we were sailing, windsurfing, paddling canoes and kayaks, swimming, playing games i

Sometimes I feel like a walking paradox. I totally empathize with politicians who are labeled flip-floppers (and think it’s totally unfair, by the way), because we all change our minds from time to time. If we are growing at all, it seems logical that even the most deeply held convictions would alter over time. I have always had the gift (curse?) of being able to see the same issue from many different points of view, and even strongly held beliefs on my part can be swayed by

I wrote about this topic in February of 2011, and today I’m reminded that it is still a very relevant theme in my life. I have been very emotional lately, often crying easily during a frustration, and sometimes for a long time. It has been a busy and somewhat difficult six months for me for a number of reasons, and the stress of that prolonged period of discomfort is taking a toll. For two years now, I’ve been taking part in a healer training program that involves energy and

Reading the latest book in the Outlander series is a stark reminder that while it may not always feel so safe to be a woman now, it was decidedly less safe in previous centuries. Women couldn't really venture anywhere without a man's protection. It is interesting that books often provide the context for these realizations. Whenever I read Jane Austen I recognize how fortunate I am to live in a time when I CAN be a single woman living on my own with the independence to do as I

Balance is a goal that most of us strive for in our lives. We tend to view balance as a sort of see-saw or scale by which we put some fun and relaxation on one side, some work and stress on the other, and hope to keep the sides fairly even. For years, I have been trying to maintain this balancing act, and couldn’t figure out why it didn’t seem to be working for me. I felt overwhelmed, stressed out, tired, lacking and lonely often. I had less money than I needed, more bills th