Shots of Awe

My friend Katerina introduced me to a Youtube series called Shots of Awe. Get me started watching them, and I can pretty much forget about getting anything productive done. Each day I talk to people who can’t remember what they enjoy.  They feel like they have...

The 6 Pillars of Self Esteem

When I was younger, I used to look to others, mostly men, to rescue me. I was convinced that, if left to my own devices, I would make some horrible mistake and screw up my life permanently.  I had no idea who I was, what I wanted or needed, or how I felt about much of...

The Words I Wish I’d Heard Upon Graduating From College

I love this time of year.  All those motivating commencement speeches cropping up on the Internet.  I can’t remember a single word that was said when I graduated with my B.S. in 1985.  I do, however, remember the commencement speech at Harvard when I received my...

The Cost of Postponing the Inevitable

Once upon a time I was an aimless girl who twisted herself into a little pretzel to win over a man. He was a decent man, with his own complexes and flaws, who led me down the primrose path into the Islamic Republic of Iran. This did not go well. As with any episode in...