In the midst of the pandemic, there are celebrations this week.

I tried and tried to write about racial justice today, about the agony of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor (and so many others). I tried to write about the importance of the demonstrations, protests and marches sweeping Manchester, sweeping Connecticut, sweeping the United States and the whole world.

I am not a person of faith—I am an atheist. But these days I am trying to find comfort in the following prayer: God, grant me the serenity… Read More!

I work with teenagers and I live with teenagers. These days I talk with young people on Zoom and by phone every day, and – like all of us – they are OVER this pandemic.

I sometimes wish there were a thermometer I could just stick in my mouth – or my husband’s mouth, or my kids’ – that could easily read their mental health. Especially these days; there is fear, there is stress, there is sadness – are we mentally healthy?

In February, my younger son, Gus, went to school at Cheney Tech one day, and was pulled out of class for a cap and gown fitting. “Some ‘fitting’,” he chuckled that night. “I wrote down my own height and weight, and gave them thirty-five dollars.” I wonder if he’ll be getting a refund.

I was never a little girl who dreamed of horses or cooed over cats or begged for a puppy. But a couple of years ago, a little gray stray cat needed temporary shelter before a blizzard.

All your friends have advice about how to deal this pandemic: keep your head up, eat right, get exercise, connect with friends, get some sleep, and on, and on, and on…. But what about when you’re in crisis and need to talk with a professional?

Did you know? Shepherds in medieval Britain were expected to count their sheep every evening, before they went to sleep. Nowadays, I have to imagine fluffy white cartoon lambs if I want to try counting sheep to help me fall asleep. It never works for me.

Keep reading the news, and it’s going to happen: a piece of information about the Covid-19 Pandemic will make you anxious or panicky. Maybe it is time to stop reading for today, and go connect with a loved one or pet a cat. Or –try this quick little exercise; it is called the 5-4-3-2-1 Technique.