Jiminy Cricket had it right when he said to Pinocchio, "Let your conscience be your guide." But the naïve and trusting Pinocchio was still led astray to the sinful Pleasure Island. The concept of conscience is prominent in most world religions including Hinduism, Zoroastrian, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism. In the literary traditions of the Bhagavad Gita, conscience is the label given to attributes composing knowledge about good and evil, that a soul gains from the completion of acts and consequent accretion of karma over many lifetimes. (Thankfully, I do not adhere to the prospect of reincarnation… this one life is hard enough!) For thousands of years, philosophers and scientists have […]

Amen.

We would all like a few "do overs." But unless you are a time traveler, you must deal with your past hurts and mistakes and move forward. #amyhagberg #todaysquote

UGH, this is a phrase I repeat to myself nearly every day. Writing is a true labor of love, whether you write fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or songs. With every word I put down, I hope my work will capture the heart of a reader, somewhere… someday. I was in the corporate world for over two decades and began writing to make a difference. That corporate career was easier in so many ways and a fat paycheck every two weeks was fantastic, but writing is what I was born to do. Whatever it is you’re doing, whether it is work related, a commitment to diet and exercise, or volunteering for a […]

My dad was a worrywart. The poor guy fretted about everything, to the point that he was hospitalized several times for anxiety. In the practice of psychiatry, anxiety is defined as: “A state of apprehension, uncertainty, and fear resulting from the anticipation of a realistic or fantasized threatening event or situation, often impairing physical and psychological functioning.” See what I underlined: ANTICIPATION. What gets us most is the fear about what might happen. This “awfulizing” or worst-case scenario thinking kills our joy. If we are so worried about what could happen tomorrow… or the next day… or the day after that, we can’t enjoy today. Many of us are crippled […]

When we get clobbered with unexpected bad news, it’s hard to find something positive in the situation. But there is almost always a silver lining. Look hard for it so you can turn your mourning into dancing.