real, raw motherhood
I’m in Saint Leu, a small beach town on the west coast of Reunion island. My friends are treating us to a weekend in an oceanfront villa. The sun is shining. Palms trees sway in the gentle breeze, bright green against the cloudless sky. A sliver of white moon winks at me. A golden dragonfly…
We just started on a journey. We’ll be away from home for nine weeks, traveling the world to teach seminars. It is quite a privilege and we don’t take it for granted. Preparing for such an adventure involves a fair amount of stress yet I managed better than ever and even completed all the packing…
The key to happiness is the acceptance of now. We can learn from the past and plan; we can hope for the future and dream but if we don’t choose to be content with our present, we can never be happy. Regardless of what our circumstances are, happiness is our choice. We don’t have to…
My husband and I own and operate a martial arts business together: he creates programs and teaches; I’m in charge of management. My office is a room in our home. No commute and flexible hours: it’s a good deal. When our daughter was born, I knew that I wanted to be home to raise her.…
I am celebrating the one year anniversary of my blog. I have published one new essay every week for a year. No small feat. In some ways, writing has become easier and yet it’s still hard. It is a weekly exercise in manifesting a personal yearning, overcoming procrastination and defeating perfectionism. It is is a…
She’s turning seven in two days. My baby is now a full fledged little girl. Who likes make up, nail polish, pig tails and twirly dresses. Who speaks three languages and is eager to learn more. Who’s in first grade but scored an A+ on a second grade math test yesterday. Who practices leaps in…
It’s Christmas once again in Kailua. Our small scraggly tree was brought down from the attic and decorated. The ribbons and wrapping paper came out of storage. The Mrs Claus dress was laundered. The seasonal DVDs magically appeared next to the TV. We smiled while watching The Grinch and cried at the end of Miracle…
“I see no better option than surgery“, the gastro-enterologist said as we reviewed my husband’s colonoscopy results. It’s been a year. A year since that appointment. A year since the first surgery. We flew to Los Angeles in October 2015 and one of us came back home without a colon. Just like that. So easy…
rich riCH/ adjective 1. having a great deal of money or assets; wealthy. People believe widely different things about money. Some believe that money is the root of all evil. Others believe that money can be a useful tool for the betterment of the world. Objectively speaking, money is neither good nor bad in and…
I just returned home from two weeks in Japan and I got sick. It started with a dry cough. Then the fever kicked in. Sneezing. Congestion. Sinus pressure. I spent the past two nights on the couch and tonight will probably find me there as well. These are definitely not-much-fun kind of days but I…