Rain, rain, go away, come again another day...was my motto as we left NE and rode across MO (on our Can Am Spyder). I did have a delightful brief conversation with a woman through the window of her car after we pulled up beside her in front of a local cafe. Betty in NW Missouri I work here (pointing at restaurant we stopped for breakfast) and they stop serving breakfast at … [Read more...]
Voices of Rural Women across American Heartland
While on vacation across American Heartland - I will post a short clip each day from a woman living in one of the many small towns we visit....The voice of rural woman...I'm posting pictures from the environment unless I have permission to use pictures of the women...I've given them fictitious names starting with "A". Enjoy! Alice in SE Nebraska "...We went to school … [Read more...]
Challenges contribute to mental health
Challenges contribute to mental health My “Bucket List” included being a bartender. So, I enrolled in a Bartending Academy. It was a grueling, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., ten day class. I surprisingly passed both the written and speed tests and was awarded a certificate. Whew! You might ask what this has to do with mental health. It has to do with challenging our brains, our … [Read more...]
Use it up, wear it out…or do without!
Use it up, wear it out...or do without! I did not live through the great depression, but during that period of history, 1929-1939, frugality was considered a virtue, and the phrase, “Use it up, wear it out, and make it do, or do without!” was the guiding principal in most households. Those were the years when nothing was wasted. Women sewed clothes for the family, and then made … [Read more...]
Trapped In an Abusive Relationship?
Trapped In an Abusive Relationship? Last article from the American Counseling Association - Honoring April: Counseling Awareness Month Relationship abuse is more common than most people realize. The National Domestic Violence Hotline reports that as many as twelve million women and men in the U.S. were the victims of such abuse last year. Reportedly, about one in four women, … [Read more...]
‘Fair-fighting’ is a valuable skill to learn
‘Fair-fighting’ is a valuable skill to learn Mitch Albom in Have a Little Faith wrote, “When my wife is mad at me she gets historical. You mean hysterical….no, historical. She brings up everything I’ve ever done wrong in my entire life.” That statement made me laugh because it is a great example of how NOT to fight. All relationships have disagreements. Arguments are normal … [Read more...]
Depression is not a death sentence
Depression is not a death sentence Depression is common. Depression is a physical disorder. Depression involves an imbalance of brain chemicals. Depression does not define who we are unless we let it. Depression does not affect our worth unless we let it. Everything I know about depression I learned from my clients and from my friend Diana Alishouse. From Diana I learned to … [Read more...]
Sunday Gecko
Sunday GeckoMy husband, Cal, quietly called me out of my office. “There’s another one,” he whispered. I looked where he was pointing, and sure enough there was a little brown and orange, four legged critter. He would be the forth gecko visiting us during the last six months.The first one, sorry to say, met his end under my husband’s boot. Sorry! The second and third one I … [Read more...]