You hear a lot of interesting things being shouted when you are sitting on the sidelines watching a sporting event. "Play to the whistle!", "Let's go!", "Talk to each other!", "Get your head in the game!","Brush it off!","Hey, ref! Put your glasses on!", and many more. As I have said in previous posts, I am a Soccer Mom and I love watching my sons play and hearing the "color commentary" from the other parents. Sometimes you can sit close enough to hear what the coaches are saying to the players. At a recent game, the coach of the opposing team was extremely vocal and we could easily hear the things he was shouting at his team. When he shouted to his striker, "Keep your head up after a bad pass!", I said to the parents sitting near me: "That's a lesson than can apply to more than just soccer."   I included a photo of a cute baby with this blog because babies don't need to be reminded to 'keep their heads up.' Once they have the strength to do so, babies keep their heads up all of the time. In addition to the excitement that little ones have about lifting their heads up and gaining a better view of the world, the posture of babies is not linked with their self esteem (or lack thereof). I don't think that babies are capable of having the self-esteem issues that adults have. They don't catch a glimpse of themselves in the mirror and think "I need to lay off the second helpings." You never see a baby perseverating after a tumble...they just get back up and try again. They don't need a coach to tell them to "keep their head up after a bad pass." I often tell my clients that they need to "baby themselves" because I want them to make self-care the highest priority. We take such wonderful care of our babies, yet we fail to treat ourselves with the same loving kindness. Another reason we should baby ourselves is to reclaim our 8-month old self who smiled at our reflection in the mirror, kept trying something we wanted to do until we got it right, and were so happy to be uniquely ourselves (there is no "keeping up with the Joneses" when you are a baby). Read More

I wasn't planning on talking about the Seinfeld show two weeks in a row, but something happened this week that made me think of the "Reservations" episode of the popular television sitcom. Sunday was Grandparent's Day and I placed an order last week for flowers to be delivered to my Mom on Saturday. I know the order went through because I received an email confirmation letting me know. For many of us, once an order is placed, it becomes a "set it and forget it" moment...in other words, you trust that the company you paid to process, complete and deliver your order will follow through. When we didn't hear from my Mom on Saturday, I had a feeling something had gone wrong. When I contacted the floral company on Sunday morning, I was told that even though they received my order and my payment, they had neglected to process the order. It was extremely upsetting and frustrating to hear that there was absolutely no way that they could get the flowers that I ordered for my Mom delivered on Grandparent's Day. I went right into dialogue from the Seinfeld show, "So you know how to take a reservation (order), but you don't know how to hold a reservation (order)!" Needless to say, I had to find another floral company who would be able to process a same-day-delivery (for a large surcharge, of course) and I promised the first company that I would no longer do business with them and that I would use the power of my pen to warn others about their terrible customer service. Read More

I really miss the Seinfeld television show! I am a huge fan of the comedian/actor and Thursday night was definitely "must see tv" for me for many years. There was so much to love about the show - the fabulous actors, the ingenious and clever writing, and the adept way that each and every episode of the "show about nothing" reached out and connected with the viewers through their depiction of everyday life.   If you are missing the show as much as I am, or have yet to discover Jerry Seinfeld's brilliance, then you may want to head on over to Netflix to watch"Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee". The premise of the show is that in each episode, Jerry Seinfeld picks up a celebrity-comedian in a vintage car and they make their way to a local coffee shop where they share conversation over espressos, cappuccinos, and lattes. One of the episodes from several seasons ago really stands out in my mind - the one with Chris Rock. Read More

At IIN, we teach the importance of joy in living a healthy and balanced life. Health isn’t just about eating kale and getting proper exercise; it’s equally important to relax, play, and laugh. We’ve all heard that “laughter is the best medicine,” and it’s true! Read More

It's that time of year again. The summer is coming to an end, the sun is setting earlier, and students are getting ready to head back to school. Many of my eldest son's friends have already left for college. I have overheard him saying to them, "Don't forget your SWIM TRUNKS!" I questioned him about this recently because I did't think that every one of his friends' colleges has a swimming pool or is located near a beach. He explained to me what he means when he says SWIM TRUNKS! You see, his middle school math and science teacher used to use that phrase quite often. He had a few students who repeatedly came to class unprepared. They often showed up for school without their text books, left their notebooks in their lockers, or forgot to bring pencils and their calculators on mathematics exam days. The teacher said the same thing each and every time: "SWIM TRUNKS! You wouldn't show up at a pool or a beach without them, you shouldn't show up to my class unprepared either. Always remember your SWIM TRUNKS!" Read More

By now you have probably seen, heard and read the many tributes to the late, great singer Aretha Franklin who passed away last week in Detroit. Upon someone's death, particularly someone famous, we are immediately reminded of the many wonderful things that were accomplished in their lifetime. Like me, you probably traveled down memory lane when you heard Aretha's many hits from her extremely successful, six-decades long career. I was particularly emotional when I watched the video of her performance at the 1998 Grammy Awards. As the story goes, Aretha was scheduled to perform a song with The Blues Brothers that evening and she was sitting in her designated seat in the audience when the awards ceremony began. The famous Italian operatic tenor, Luciano Pavarotti was supposed to perform at the show but took ill after the late-afternoon dress rehearsal and called from his trailer after the show started to say that he could not possibly perform. Thirty minutes after the start of the awards ceremony, Aretha was asked by the show's producers to perform in place of Luciano. This was not too much to ask of a seasoned veteran like Aretha, right? Wrong! They asked her to perform one of Luciano's hits, not one of her own. Ever the professional, Aretha agreed to sing the emotionally heart-wrenching and incredibly difficult aria "Nessun Dorma", a song which Pavarotti had mastered and made famous. Twenty years later we have the videotape of Aretha's performance which "brought the house down". She was "called to serve" that evening in 1998 at Radio City Music Hall in NYC and she famously and graciously answered that call.   Have you ever been asked to do something at the last minute? Did you answer the call? Read More

Recently my sons took their five-hour driving course, so I did what any parent would do when they are presented with 5 hours of free time...I went antiquing in Vermont with my husband! You are probably quite familiar with the expression "one man's trash is another man's treasure" - those words truly come to life when you are exploring the packed rooms and shelves of antique stores. It was literally a 'walk down memory lane' for us as we went from room-to-room looking at decades-old presidential election memorabilia, 4-feet high stacks of old vinyl records and shelves filled with the blue and white Pyrex dishes that we each remembered from our Grandmother's kitchen. Read More

You wake up at 3am with your heart racing. You have a pit in your stomach. You feel restless, light-headed, and hot. Your mind starts to race, and before you know it, you’re worrying about the list of things that need to be done tomorrow. Though mind and body reactions may vary, these symptoms are often an indication of anxiety. Read More

When you think of Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh, are you brought right back to a point in your childhood when you opened up the pages of the classic book or you watched the characters come to life on tv or at the movies? I have the fondest memories of those beloved characters and the many life lessons I learned from their interactions in the Hundred Acre Wood. All of these years later, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore are back on the big screen and have an important message for us all.   In the recently released movie, "Christopher Robin", the lead character is all grown up with a family of his own and a job at a luggage company. The position comes with its own baggage since Christopher Robin's' boss is extremely demanding and the job consumes all of his time. When he is unable to get time off, his family even decides to go on vacation without him. I am not giving anything away when I tell you that Christopher Robin's oldest and dearest friend Winnie the Pooh plays a role in the ultimate wake-up-call that comes Christopher's way. Read More

I admit it...I love polished wood furniture! It makes me happy to walk into any one of the rooms in my home and see that the furniture surfaces are gleaming! None of my pieces are cherished family heirlooms, but I take care of them as if they are or someday might be. The challenge that I have faced is trying to achieve polished wood perfection without using any chemicals. I was a card-carrying member of the "Pledge and Endust" Fan Club for many years. It was a wonderful feeling to be able to easily wipe away dust and fingerprints and leave a shiny and smudge-resistant surface in their place. The problem was that there were many hormone-disrupting chemicals hiding in plain sight in the aerosol can that had a regular presence in my left hand! Read More