Karaoke, Butterflies & Art: A Late Bloomers Journey to Owning Peace & Love

The Art of Healthy Boundaries: Navigating Relationships with Friends, Love Interests, and Co-Workers I thought I was doing pretty good at .making friends....but... We've all had those friends, family members, or colleagues who seem to constantly need emotional support. They're always in crisis mode, sharing their problems, seeking advice, and leaning on you for comfort. While it's natural to want to help others, it's important to recognize when these relationships become one-sided and start to drain your own emotional energy. Unfortunately, I made these same mistakes over and over again with people I thought would have my back like I had theirs.  These individuals, often referred to as "emotional vampires," can leave you feeling depleted, stressed, and resentful. They have a knack for turning every interaction into a therapy session, leaving you with little time or energy for your own needs. You might find yourself constantly sacrificing your own mental health...

How do You Explain the World and Things Like Discrimination to a Child?: Let's Start With Empathy Fred Rogers AKA "Mister Roger's Neighborhood", was the absolutely best at explaining difficult subjects to children. His voice, tone, body language, and even getting down on his knees so he was eye level to a child was the most kind and empathetic gesture.  He knew that e xplaining discrimination and racism to elementary school-aged children can be challenging. But he also knew how important is is to use simple, clear language and relatable examples.  Here’s a "Mister Rogers" way to approach it: Start with Fairness: Kids understand fairness.  You can say, “Discrimination is when someone is treated unfairly just because of who they are, like their skin color, where they come from, or what they believe.” Use Simple Examples: Explain that racism is a type of discrimination where people are treated unfairly because of their race.  For example, “Imagine if someone...

School is in Session: How Can We Use a Government Entity to Bring Us Back Together? The United States, once hailed as a beacon of unity and democracy, now finds itself deeply polarized. A growing chasm separates its citizens, fueled by political rhetoric, social media echo chambers, and a government that often seems more interested in division than unity. These issues have eroded social cohesion and trust in institutions.  So I was thinking, how can we address this growing divide?  Public schools can play a critical role in fostering civic engagement, critical thinking, and empathy.   The Root of Division  Several factors contribute to the nation's growing division. The Role of Partisan Politics Partisan politics has become increasingly divisive, with politicians prioritizing ideology over compromise. This has led to gridlock in Congress, making it difficult to address pressing issues like climate change, healthcare, and economic inequality. The constant barrage...

A Nation Divided: Why Are We Letting the Government Tear Us Apart? AND, what happened to civil conversations? With the holidays coming up, it got me thinking about how post election, this year will probably further divide family members from each other. Why are we choosing to distance ourselves from folks we would normally enjoy spending time with if politics were not a factor? Why, WHY??? ....are we giving politics and the government the power to break up friendships and families? It seems to me that both mainline party voters are and have been frustrated and disgusted with the way our government has led the country. But we are not a country, as a whole, that makes educated decisions on individual issues let alone a general election. When was the last time that you as an average American citizen turned on CSPAN to watch federal legislation to learn about an issue from both sides of the aisle or attended a local city council or board of education meeting? Last time I checked, when bot...