Category: Psychology

  • Saddle-up. Wear a hard hat. And bring the bear.

    The other day, as I emerged from my apartment building—my home-away-from-home here in San Diego—I sighed at the sight and sounds of the ongoing road construction.  The major street in front of my building has been torn up for months as subterranean waterlines are repaired and rerouted. The dust, Read more […]

  • Springing Forward

    It’s one of my favorite times of the day.  It’s nearly 2am.  The streets and surroundings are still.  Lights twinkle from the neighboring buildings.  There’s a slight chill in the air. And there is silence. So much hype surrounds me virtually as social media reminds me that a change in Read more […]

  • The Noise of Poverty; Understanding Its Power over Self & Other

    As I transition from the “West” to Uganda—yet again—I am anticipating the different sounds in the lifescape.  Some will welcome me, emoting joy and pleasure. Others will attack me in offensive ways, stirring negativity and frustration.  Others will be processed subconsciously—and yet will Read more […]

  • “The Elusive Image” (A 90-second read about drawing the impossible)

    You have likely heard the story of a little girl who sat down to draw, and when her teacher asked what she was going to draw, she said, “I’m drawing a picture of God.”  “But, honey, no one knows what God looks like,” the teacher said.  To which the little girl replied, “They will in a…

  • “And I’m Glad I Did” (A three-minute read about hidden commitments—and a jump rope.)

    One day a few weeks ago, my trainer and I finished a session of boxing, and he invited me to sushi.  He’s quite savvy, and recognizes the intersection of leadership, psychology, and physical wellness—and he wanted to more formalize the consulting piece of our work together.  (I have been providing Read more […]

  • “Even When We Don’t Want to” (A 70-second read on pressing into courage, selflessness and forgiveness.)

    This blog post was prompted by a thought I posted on Facebook this morning: I’m considering the beauty of Maundy Thursday, Christ’s final hours in His human experience. The Last Supper, the Passover meal. Washing of the feet. Communion. “Final” thoughts and commandments (“maundy” is Latin for “commandment”). Read more […]

  • “Music in the Dark” (A 2-minute read.)

    From my African journal:  Every evening, I hear music coming from an obscure location in the middle of my village town, Masaka, Uganda.  It is joyful music with heavy rhythms and multiple voices in song.  Between choruses, there are great shouts, and bursts of speech in Luganda.  I have trouble making Read more […]

  • 4 Things I’m Glad I Don’t Know for Sure

    For years, on the last page of the ‘O’ magazine, Oprah Winfrey has written a column she calls: “What I know for sure.”  Today, I’m doing just the opposite. In a reading for my “Spirituality and Health” class, I highlighted this phrase: “Prior to conception, the soul exists as a drop of Read more […]

  • “Especially Set Aside” (An 80-second reading on creating space for conversations that matter.)

    The music is pumped up on the car radio, you’re driving to a somewhat familiar place, but then suddenly you realize you’re lost. What’s the first thing you do? You turn down your radio. Why? Because you need to create cognitive space for the task of reorienting yourself.  Like a collection Read more […]

  • Don’t just do something, stand there. (A 1-minute reading.)

    One of my first kids was initially brought to AidChild covered in wounds—the beating kind.  Nearly every inch of his little body had been abused.  We don’t know his date of birth, but he must have been six or seven years old.  It was truly awful. Like all of my kids, he quickly rebounded, and…