This week I’m at the Winter 340B Coalition Conference in San Diego. It turned out to be a grey (Pittsburgh grey) day and it was raining, so no outdoor California fun for me.  I typically don’t do well with hurtling my body across the US. This time is no different. My challenge this week, is to be present in the Pacific Time zone. I typically start grounding myself part of the way to the new destination the night before I fly. It helps me sleep and gets rid of jet lag—try it, it works like a charm. 

Friday night, it felt like I could only ground to Kissimmee and Phoenix, the first leg of the trip. I went with it. I grounded into Phoenix, and while waiting for the flight to San Diego, I remembered that I needed to ground into San Diego. This morning it occurred to me that I was still grounded into Phoenix and San Diego. Mountain time and Pacific time.

I have a tool where I extend a connection to the center of the earth by imagining a beam of light, or a waterfall, or a set of tree root...

If you like the truly American spectacle known as the SuperBowl, yesterday did not disappoint. Congratulations to Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs. Well done.

I personally watch the Superbowl for the commercials and this year did not disappoint. I was blown away by the New York Life Commercial #LoveTakesAction Click here to watch. This short commercial shows love in action, which is the definition of Lovingkindness.

I'm writing a presentation on Lovingkindness for my Mindfulness Meditation Teacher's Certification Program that I have to give in two weeks. The fourth type of love described in the commercial, Agape love, is the unconditional love for all living things. Lovingkindness is a feeling and an action. It's moving through life with love.

To practice Lovingkindness is typically done by entering a quiet state and repeating  phrases such as "May I be healthy, May I be healthy, May all living beings be healthy, May all living beings be healthy." It comes out of an acceptance o...

For the past three days, I’ve been heads down finishing my book, “Staying Grounded in the Middle of Chaos.” In the last 30 minutes, I sent the draft to the editor and reached back out to the cover designer to let him know that we are rounding third base and heading for home. I’m sitting here with my eyes closed typing, feeling into the good feeling of completion. Breathing in ‘yes’. Letting go on the exhale.

My boss calls this the “Polish Vacation.” That’s where you take PTO from your first job, to work on your second job. From Friday morning until this morning, I reread every poem I’d written over the last three years. I use poetry to process emotions. I stopped hiding that I write poetry and there are 75 poems and one Eulogy in the book. It gives me goosebumps to claim that I write poetry. I am a poet. Not in the Robert Frost, Walt Whitman, Maya Angelou way. My way is, well, my way.

Poems pop into my head, especially while I’m walking Oshie. I’ve started carrying my phone so I can ...

For the third year in a row, the Mediterranean Diet has been named #1 for overall health by the US News and World Report dietary rankings. A team of scientists, health practitioners, and dieticians review diets and rank them in several categories, probably in response to the criticism of the food pyramid. If you are still eating in a pyramid, swim across the Mediterranean Sea to Italy, France, and Greece for healthier choices. 

I came across the Mediterranean Diet back in the late 90’s. I went to my library and dug up the original book I read by Artemis Simopoulos, M.D. called The Omega Plan. My copy is dog eared and has no less than six page-markers where I’ve made important notes.  For someone like me, who deals with Celiac Disease and a Poultry allergy, eating Mediterranean is a fabulous fit.

I’m going to be discussing the diet in more detail during the Healthy Mindful Self Mastermind, this Wednesday at 8p eastern. (Free to register. Giveaways to those who register.)

Learn more h...

One of my meditation colleagues sent me an article on listening that was published in the New York Times this week. The link is below and well worth the read. As I read it, I thought about the discussion I had with my son (33- a nursing executive) explaining personal presence. He said, “Mom is that even a thing?” I google personal presence and sent him a definition. (Old Mawm can still teach you something.)

 My definition of personal presence is how you show up in the world. Someone can tell if you aren’t paying attention to them or are distracted. Personal presence is a state of mindful awareness of everything that is important and allows you to focus on what matters. 

Most meditators have a crisis of confidence and lament, “Am I even doing this right or am I wasting my time?” It’s easy to understand that feeling. If you can concentrate you can meditate and with practice, selective attention begins insidiously to creep into your awareness. Listening to your inner self is great train...

No, not that pause. It’s Monday. And if you are like me, you are fully back to work today after the holidays. Even if you love your job, like I do, the work you put on hold is still there. I had lunch with my girlfriends on Saturday, and even though I don't work with them any longer, just mentioning the name of the same people who used to trigger me, still did. Hmm. I've done all this work on myself and yet there is more healing to be done. 

How about you? At the stroke of midnight last Wednesday, you vowed that this is your year. That this year will be different. But will it? Truthfully, how many years have you told yourself that.

As 2019 breathed its last, the person you were at 11:59 pm last Tuesday---Is that the same person today? For the most part, yes.

However, you have the power. You have the power to control how you react in difficult situations. You have the power to control how you react to people who push your buttons especially when they enjoy doing so.

Doing my best He...

Medications are a necessary lifesaving medical expense. To get the most for your money, there are five simple questions you can ask to make sure you have a full understanding of the new medication.

1. WHY am I taking this? Understanding the purpose of the medication, in other words, the specific condition you have that the medication is supposed to help, goes a long way to helping you know your medication basics.
2. HOW does this medication work? Having a general understanding of how the medication works can help you determine if the medication is working as it is intended or you are having side effects. Don’t settle for medical jargon. Have your prescriber explain it until you understand it. For example: if the medication is for high blood pressure, make sure you understand whether you might get dizzy when it starts working, making it better to take at bedtime.
3. WHEN should I take this medication? Knowing the time of day to take your medication, with food or on an empty stomach can grea
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