Finding Happiness

Have you ever noticed that happiness doesn’t just “happen,” even when life is going well? Maybe you have a lovely home, good friends, and plenty of reasons to feel grateful – yet the spark just isn’t there. That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you…

I don’t think I’m going out on a limb when I say we’re living in troubling times. But rather than spending our time getting into all of that, I prefer instead we turn our attention in an even more important direction: to our own experience in it all…

At 67, Clare realized that she’d been asking herself the wrong question her entire life. Fall was settling into Oregon, the morning light filtering through Douglas firs where the first leaves were beginning to turn. The season here held a quiet grace, so different from the dramatic autumn…

“You always look like you are having so much fun,” remarked one of the young ladies in my condominium area. “You’ve got your boots on or your tango shoes in hand, and you give off the vibe that life is always full of joy…”

Self-compassion practices are exercises that allow us to treat ourselves with the same warmth and understanding we would offer a dear friend. After decades of caring for others (children, partners, careers), learning to extend that kindness inward can become an act of self-love…

It’s hard to get to retirement age without having been wronged or hurt at some time in our life. No matter the infraction, some individuals can forgive easily and move on with their life. But there are others of us who continue to hold a grudge…

There are two sides to every story, and three sides to every drama. Those three sides are what David Emerald, author of The Power of TED* calls DDT, the Dreaded Drama Triangle. Language is powerful. Most of what we communicate…

Have you ever noticed how the last bite (or the last lick) is always the best? It doesn’t matter whether it’s your favourite meal, a delicious ice cream, last chocolate, or a ripe juicy cherry. Somehow that last bit always tastes so good! I think the same can be said of life…

How do we cultivate our happiness? Does happiness can just happen, or can we make it so? As we age, we realize that happiness is more of a choice than a random occurrence. Try incorporating some of these happiness practices into your life every day…

In today’s world, more women over 50 are living alone, by choice or by circumstance. Have you been through a divorce? Lost a partner? Watched your children move out and realized you finally have space to focus on yourself? For some of us, living alone is simply a personal…