Dear WomanPause readers. I have something personal to share. Last week, my short memoir piece “Little Secrets” was published. I should be thrilled … and I am, really, but … I’m also a bit raw. I feel naked. Exposed.   My Mother’s Words: “Don’t Air Your Dirty Laundry in Public”   Thus, if you want…

Hair! Mine has never been my best feature. I remember my younger years, spending countless hours trying to transform my own limp locks into a long and luscious Pantene-like mane. It didn’t work.   “Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Beautiful” (Does anyone else remember the stunning Kelly LeBrock scolding you through the TV screen? “Don’t…

It’s that time of year—graduation season. When you hear the word graduate what comes to mind? An eighteen-year-old going off to college in the fall? A college grad starting out in “the real world?” (Anybody besides me think of a young Dustin Hoffman and Katherine Ross—not to mention the incomparable Mrs. Robinson, Anne Bancroft?) Whatever…

We are living in exciting times. Even with all the divisiveness and anger in the air, there is a quieter but no less powerful voice making itself heard. It’s a voice of connection, of trying new solutions to old problems—the voice of curiosity and experimentation. The quiet also reflects a deep listening—to other’s experiences and…

How important is your mindset? How much power does your belief system have over the quality of your life? If you believe psychologists, philosophers, and social scientists, the answer is quite a bit. We are under a constant information assault from the environment. In order for any of that incoming data to make sense, the…

Jessica Bennett’s Gender Letter appeared in my inbox a few weeks ago. It was first published in the New York Times in May 2018, but I don’t question why it presented itself to me this April. Books and articles often pop up just at the perfect time. (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/31/us/abby-wambach-commencement-speeches-women.html) Bennett’s column has a provocative title: “Stop…

“It’s not the destination. It’s the journey.” Powerful quote. I’m pretty sure that when Ralph Waldo Emerson* spoke, or wrote, those words he was not thinking of a cruise ship. But, as saying goes, if the shoe fits … Steven and I just returned from a 5-day/4-night stay on—yes—a Carnival ship. “The Fun Ship” is…

Are you having trouble making an important decision?  Figuring out an answer to a significant life question? It could be that part of the struggle stems from the fact that you are not bored enough. Yes! Not bored enough. When was the last time you were really, truly, thoroughly bored? This may be difficult to…

I love reading poetry. Slowly. Letting the words simmer in my brain, melt into my heart. I even dabble in writing poems. The practice provides me with little artistic success, I’m sorry to say, but with great emotional release. Reading and writing poetry cuts right through to a deep place that other genres often don’t…