The private pilot is jolly—like an Irishman at a pub. He enters the airport, hand extended, eager to embark on our journey together and making jokes as he greets our girls. We all pile into our tiny, privileged private aircraft, our faces touched with the telltale signs of a week of the wind and sun …Read More
I was a very young therapist with an excellent supervisor and a heavy caseload that gave me regular headaches. My books and my excellent education were failing me. This was the real deal. Real people with real—and I mean real—problems. The seasoned therapists would take their top picks from the incoming clients, leaving the newer …Read More
I have watched “Little Women” more times that anyone I’ll bet. I am mesmerized by the plot, which is laden with resiliency, feminism, strength of family, and the overwhelming power and beauty of love with a strong appreciation for differences. My all-time favorite line in the movie is delivered by Jo’s older suitor Frederick. “Jo, …Read More
The ripples of the August heat rise off the road, visually blurring the traffic lined up in front of me as we wait in the New Jersey Shore traffic. I am feeling claustrophobic, boxed in by cars on all sides. I have my window open – air surfing – you know – where you make …Read More
For those of you who have never been rock climbing, the bilayer is the person who handles the line that supports the climber. It’s a very important role since, without that person to feed the line to the climber and make sure the catch is engaged and anchored, the climber could get hurt or even …Read More
Some counseling sessions are just down right startling. I distinctly recall this one couple and the way they entered their first session at their initial intake looking unusually happy –perhaps some nervous energy, I thought. He wiggled in his seat and checked out my degrees, licenses, and certifications and other objects in the room. She …Read More
It’s a typical Thursday evening. Mayhem has ensued in the homework area while I am cutting up the salad ingredients. Bickering fills the kitchen and my tolerance is rapidly dwindling. “Really,” my little voice inside says. “Why must siblings be so mean? “ Then I think, “Is it a hazing type of thing? Breaking one …Read More
In seconds I can be there. I smell the classroom, my Hello Kitty erasers, Elmer’s glue, and the dusty chalk smell that always hung in the air. We are doing the dreaded multiplication game from hell. My palms start to sweat, my heart pounds and my chest tightens. I HATE this game. My internal voice …Read More
Whenever someone jams on the brakes in traffic, my husband instinctively reaches across my body, shielding me from any possible harm. I swear, he would jump into a raging fire for me or our girls…sacrificing himself. It’s pure love and entirely selfless. I like knowing that my partner would do that for me as I …Read More
It was an off the hook windy, sunshiney fall Sunday morning and we were lingering in bed. This is the kind of morning that we live for — a little time to slow down and just be with one another. The little beings (even the furry ones) were all sleeping in. Nobody was asking us …Read More
