I’ve been noticing some pretty awesome Halloween displays in yards around our town. Thank goodness for people who find JOY in providing a bit of haunted holiday cheer to others. And while I’m not a big lover of scary stuff and movies, I do love the reminder that Halloween brings to be a little more playful and a little less serious.

Why is it so easy to wonder if we’re doing things the right way? In my day job as an executive coach, many clients tend to wonder, How am I doing compared to everyone else … “everyone else” seems to have it all together … do I? They ultimately ask, Do other people struggle with these same issues too?

Here's A Poem for your Saturday (not autobiographical – ok, well maybe a little)

Peace. Nearly everyone I know could use more of it (including me).

Did you know that you only need one person to believe in you to get some serious s&#t done?

Isn’t this a weird time to be alive? For the last 18 months, we have been on a curvy road of sharp turns, narrow shoulders, and limited visibility. The pressure has been palpable no matter your situation.

I have a Q&A for you.

Q: How do you feed your soul?

Suggested A: One bite at a time and often.

Wrong A: Never.

During times I’ve been overwhelmed and stressed out, I’ve noticed a common denominator … I stopped feeding my soul.

This is the weekend for rest, but when is the last time you granted yourself permission to truly power down and be relaxed in body and mind?

You can do it! Seriously, whatever that thing is that you've been wanting to do, go ahead and get started. It's never too late.

In the midst of a busy week, I spied a good, healthy patch of sunshine falling on my porch swing out back. I had roughly 7,234 other things to do at that moment, but I couldn't resist stepping out back to soak it up.

How are you?

It’s time to turn the spotlight back to you. While I’ve been off in my own world of transitions, I know that you’ve been facing the ups, downs, and neutrals of your own life. I hope you're doing OK. This is still a crazy world that we're living in.

Well, this week’s encouraging note is a little unique.

Due to some prior engagements (a birthday vacation in Florida) Monica was unavailable to write today's encouraging note.

I had a birthday yesterday, and I celebrated this week by memorizing a song. If it sounds strange, that’s because it is : ).

Let me explain.

Two questions for you ...

First, how good are you at knowing what brings you JOY?

Second, how good are you at doing the things that you know bring you JOY?

Life is fill in the blank .

So what did you put? Good, bad, wonderful, awful, funny, serious, long, short, confusing, enlightening, hard, easy, joyful, cruel?

There are literally thousands of reasonable responses to fill in the blank each day, but this one is a favorite …

Happy 4th of July weekend!

Freedom is such a privilege, and I think taking time to celebrate it honors everyone who has made it possible. I’m so grateful that people have been willing to create, protect, and defend our country, even sacrificing their own lives for people they have never met. The generosity is humbling and inspirational.

Summer is here! The heat, the water, the sun – bring it on. From the time I’ve been little it’s the season that I have felt most connected to - maybe it’s the long days, or the summer birthday, or the slowing down that the season usually brings. Summer fills me up.

Say cheese! This week I've been continuing to experiment with photo / video journaling using the 1 second everyday app (and no, I didn't take a pic of the cicadas - which are almost gone btw - happy dance). In my quest to use the app for the entire month of June, I've made a few interesting discoveries along the way.

I’ve been doing the cicada dance this week. It’s a combo of Elaine-like moves from Seinfeld, a few scared jumps, and a smattering of short yelps.

It's the unofficial start of summer, and the timing is PERFECT. Have you felt the relief of even small amounts of normalcy?