Posts

Are “daddy issues” all bad? How growing up without a father can have a silver lining.

Image
  THE PAIN Growing up without a father in a man’s world as a young girl and woman, can be an extremely painful experience. Besides the obvious abandonment wound, it can also mean not knowing how to maneuverer safely in a world that continues to be dominated by men and that still treats women as objects and subservient beings. Yes, we have made many strides in the world of gender equality, but you have to be truly blind or caught up in your male privilege to believe all is well for women – we still are not treated with the respect of being autonomous individuals. Autonomous = having the freedom to govern oneself or control one’s own affairs. If you’ve seen the recent news from Afghanistan to Texas, women are still not given this very basic respect that men have always been given. You see it in the “body count” gender wars, and the double standards around sexuality. You see it in workplaces where it’s still much easier for men to climb the corporate ladder and end up on huge...

Introverts and our fear of taking up space.

Image
It may shock a lot of people to find out I am introverted. How? - Considering I’m super opinionated and somewhat of an exhibitionist. Well, because I feel most happy, safe and comfortable ALONE! I need ME time to recharge. Whereas extroverts, recharge in connection to others. When I’m feeling low, I need time to myself or only want extremely safe and familiar people in my vicinity. When an extrovert feels low they want to go out with their buddies and engage/distract themselves with the world. It’s withdrawal from the world vs diving into the world as a way of life or as a coping mechanism. So, we label ourselves these things, “Introvert” or “Extrovert”, but we never really ask ourselves WHY? Are we as introverts just meant to spend the rest of our lives feeling socially anxious, resenting small talk and surface level social interactions forever? Well this is my take on my why, and how it has actually kept me somewhat imprisoned around others, and how I am learning to become more u...

Compassion - the deepest expression of love.

Image
I am so thankful for all the COMPASSIONATE folks in this world - YOU ARE MY ANGELS and I have prayed many nights to cross your path. Compassion is the deepest level of love we can offer another, because it is UNDERSTANDING and validating what is a REALITY for them. We all just want to feel heard, seen and held in our experience. None of us are inherently bad. We are just operating under what we know best, as well as survival mechanisms that can sometimes create more chaos than safety. But nonetheless, there's a rhyme and a reason for most behaviours - even the most problematic, even what can be deemed as “reckless’ behaviour can be a form of survival and self-love. (Ps. I am not talking about having compassion for Donald Trump types who actively destroy others - I'm just talking about having compassion for generally non-evil people's life path's and feelings). So, instead of dismissing people’s emotions and experiences LETS BE ALLIES. Let’s hold space for ...

Introducing Little Me

Image
Hi all and hello to your inner child too! I am a huge fan of inner child work, so, I wanted to draw some attention to it by introducing my own Little Me and sharing some of her quirks and things I love about her. I'll then talk about what I believe we can all get out of doing inner child work, or at least what I have. I absolutely love that Little Hana is bold, courageous and doesn’t shy away from speaking her observant, active mind. An independent and serious little girl, she is constantly assessing and analyzing people and her surroundings. She likes to keep her distance and is not into affection - unless of course it is with her ever growing population of baby nieces and nephews. Whom she adores! A lover of learning she is really self-motivated with school and even likes to help her classmates with their school work, once she's finished with hers. She enjoys atlases and puzzles for self-play time and is an overall expert at keeping herself entertained. Li...

Quarantine Reflections

Image
Hello there family, loved ones and all who find this blog. Let me start by saying my heart is so heavy for those facing a myriad of challenges that Covid-19 has caused. From those whose health has suffered Covid-19 or otherwise, to those who have had family and friends pass due to Covid-19 or otherwise and are unable to mourn with family or attend funerals, to the increase in domestic violence and abuse of any kind - and the lack of refuge, to those feeling the financial strain or who don’t know if they will have a pay cheque or shelter or food, and to all of us feeling the fear of uncertainty, PERIOD! We may feel like we’re in uncharted territory, but we have been here before. The cycles of life are never really new. Reading up on the Spanish Flu of 1918 really helped put things in perspective for me ( Read Here ).  Pictured below is the pregnant wife of Austrian artist Egon Schiele who died of the Spanish flu in 1918 the day after this was painted. Egon died 3 days la...