Recalibrate Your Work, Rest, and Play.
previous issues of the sabbatical lifestyle
Building My Own Damn Pool, That Time I Enjoyed An Extra 2 Inches, and the Liberation Lifestyle
“By the time we hit 40, most of us face a reality that can look quite different from the future we anticipated at 25. Sure, there’s a spiritual maturity--a deepening self-awareness and introspection--that results from embracing (Getting hit upside the head with?) the truth about ourselves. If we’re honest, though, it’s a bit more confusing, searching, and scary than we’d imagined…”
Cancer Sucks
I said goodbye to her roughly 60 minutes before she passed.
It was both painful and beautiful to witness her end of life.
As I left her cute little house in a quiet suburb--where the shades were drawn as her wife, friend, and parents were holding vigil--I couldn't help but notice the study in contrast: the shadowed, trough-like yin energy inside the house and the bright, active yang energy of the neighborhood streets.
The Problem With All Those Intro/Extroversion Buzzfeed Quizzes
I’m sure I’m not the first person you’ve heard say that too many smart, driven 40-somethings lack personal satisfaction (cue the Rolling Stones). There’ve been a lot of think pieces over the years about midlife malaise—the overload, fear, and frustration.
That Time a Kid Threw a Rock at My Face
If I asked you where your midlife satisfaction comes from, you’d likely rattle off a list of accomplishments:
Promotion at work
A loving partnership
Feeling fit
A big nest egg for retirement
Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro
Okay, maybe you hit pause on that last one. But I imagine you’d feel pretty great once the altitude sickness wore off, right?
Here's Why Your Midlife Struggle Has Nothing to Do With You
“I have everything that should make me feel satisfied—but I feel so guilty because I’m not and it feels like something is missing. Why?”
A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to 40...
A funny thing happened on the way to 40. I went in search of self-worth but instead gained self-acceptance.
Two Human Thighs and a Swimsuit
I thought I was a friend to myself. Then I spent a week in a swimsuit.
What the Luck: Your 4-Step Patty Party
When I think about how much I’ve grown in the past 2 years alone, I feel pretty darn lucky. Which is timely since St. Patrick’s Day is this Sunday. But I use “luck” here on purpose…because there’s a science to luck. And that’s what I’m here to share today. Lucky you!
Crisis Subverted
“A ‘midlife crisis’ happens to other people, not me.” I told myself. Genial, hard working, multi-talented…I could maneuver most situations like a human Swiss Army Knife. But as I approached 38, I entered into a two-year period I couldn’t maneuver out of…
That Time I Left the 2018 Snowmaggedon for Cabo and Everything was Magical
We're having an impossibly beautiful snowpocalypse here in Minnesota. "Impossibly" because I can't get out my back door to take a proper picture of the soft, gleaming blanket of fresh powder. But, trust me, I've got Norman Rockwell-type beauty outside my window.
Which, ironically, has me thinking about my upcoming spring break to Cabo.
Which has me thinking about last year's spring break trip...also to Cabo.
Can You Talk to Your Mom About Vegas "Cock Ranches"?
I was in the middle of listening to Mom and Dad recount their travels in the American Southwest--Hoover Dam! Grand Canyon! A mountain top near Taos!--when they mentioned their forthcoming stay in Vegas.
Cutting the MacBook Strings: bringing meaning back to "not working"
Nearly two months ago, my friend had a baby. But for all the time she spends feeding him, burping him, changing his diaper, putting him down, or picking him up, I’m pretty sure I currently spend more time each day with my laptop (#startuplife #onlinecoaching).
The Audacity of "Look at Me" in a Bundled Up World
There's this amazing woman Erin who teaches my cabaret camp and has an ASTOUNDING ability to interpret any lyric at least a dozen ways. In each class, I say to myself, "Oh, so THAT'S how that lyric should sound." (<--- [SIGH] There’s that stupid “shoulding” all over myself…but, really, she nails those interpretations…all 12 of 'em.)
Hmmm...This is Challenging
There's a trend on Facebook right now called the "How Hard Did Aging Hit You?" challenge. You're to upload the first profile pic you ever posted next to your current one. And then...let the judgment commence: puffiness, gray hairs, Botox.
Can We All Stop Being Jerk Communicators?
How To End a First Date (without being a dick)* is the title of my recent blog post. Have you read shared it yet?
While I'm on my rickety soapbox, I'll take a moment to extend this idea to all communication contexts (work, family, friends, dating, other).
How to End a First Date Without Being a Dick
I had a 5-minute date last week that ended with the guy bolting for the door and deleting me on Bumble. “What could I possibly have said in those five minutes to produce that kind of reaction?” I wondered as I slurped my chai latte and did a quick mental recap…
Going Home, a Shady Viennese Hostel, and Your "True North" Brilliance
As a kid, I stored up a lot of credits with God. Every Christmas Eve (and various other times of the year), I’d attend both Catholic mass and Lutheran church. Often providing special music (hat tip to all those “sounds advanced but is basically just a bunch of arpeggios” Lorie Line arrangements).
Reflecting On the Chin Hairs of Life
This is it! The last days of 2018 are upon us. 🎉 🎊 But if there's a ritual that perplexes me, it's New Year's resolutions: Why wait for an arbitrary date to be more awesome? (*scratches head*)
12 Days of Midlifing
Let’s get one thing clear: I'm not about to encourage you to wrap more gifts or plan a host of daily activities in honor of the 12 Days of Christmas. That’s just not my brand of ambition.
Why I Coach
I coach to discover. I coach to uncover. I coach to create color in a world that often appears black and white. I coach because I believe in people. I coach to honor courage. I coach in defiance of societal norms…