As we worked on this week’s “TED* Works!” essay, Donna received word that a long-time, very dear friend’s house had perished in one of the Oregon wildfires. At nearly the same time, she also learned that her niece had been hospitalized for dangerous pregnancy complications that requires long-term hospitalization. The shock and grief of the […]
In the 1960’s Dr. Stephen Karpman first described the three reactive and problem-focused roles of Victim, Persecutor, and Rescuer that he named the Drama Triangle. One role—that of Rescuer—is especially familiar to us. We often say that we are both “recovering Rescuers.” The Rescuer role is the “pain reliever” in the Drama Triangle and focuses […]
“What can I, as an individual, do to make a difference to positively impact the huge issues we are facing?” This is a question we hear in many conversations and meetings as we all face the realities of the pandemic, social inequities, systemic racism, and global warming – to name a few. The list is long, […]
This pandemic has created new ways of working and living together. It has also created enormous tension and stress. Stress can be defined as, “What we feel when we are facing too many demands and fear we may not live up to it.” Many families are facing another year of demands, working from home, and […]
These are troubling times and everyone is struggling. You may be feeling a bit weary too, as are we. While there is no denying the disruptive realities in our world, we also know that what we focus on has a great deal to do with what shows up in our lives. That is the basis […]
The month of July hosts several Independence Day celebrations around the world. July 1st was Canada’s Independence Day and the “4th of July” is recognized in the US as the day the states became free and independent from the tyranny of a foreign king. The current global disruption is showing the world that freedom exists, […]
We are going to show our age in this essay! We both grew up as Baby Boomers, spending hours playing and creating with our Etch-A-Sketch (if you don’t know what one is, click on the link). Using two knobs, you can create pictures and designs that get etched on the screen. When you want to […]
In a recent conversation, a good friend raved about the CEO in his global consulting firm. He said that the CEO had always been rather cold and aloof and rarely shared personal information, but everything had changed since the beginning of the pandemic. Now, that CEO sends weekly emails to all employees, not only updating […]
Many of us have seen the graphic photos of someone sneezing with thousands of droplets projecting into the air. The contagious nature of this virus is certainly a huge part of this pandemic. And, here’s the thing—emotions are highly contagious too! At a time when most people are hunkered down and spending more time alone […]
We have a friend who tells the story of driving one day and seeing a billboard sign advertising: “Self Storage.” As he kept driving, he thought, “Hmm… maybe that is where I stored myself!” What a distressing metaphor for what many of us do with our lives. We can easily hide or lock away the […]
