The playground as a kid could be a cruel place. We all tend to have a horror story or two about getting picked last to play kickball or so-called friends ratting out our secrets to the rest of the kids playing during recess. Saying all that, friendships seemed to come much easier when we were … More Finding your people
I appreciate and admire my blogging friends who share their observations about people, whether in chance encounters doing everyday things or sweet reminiscences about home and hearth from days gone by. Examples? Ally Bean and slices of human nature at the grocery store; Deborah and a forested encounter with a woman wearing her favorite color … More Inspirations
I have been making art for my entire life, but I have gone in and out of how seriously I take the whole thing. At some points I felt like, “eh, this is just this thing that I do that I’m good at, but it won’t lead to anything.” At other points, I have felt like I was put on this planet to make art! For the most part, I have not thought about it in an adequately in-depth way, and I have just historically made art when I felt like it. However, I have recently begun to take my role as an artist in this world much more seriously. Experiencing repeated dating disappointments is what actually led me to start focusing more on my art. So, thank you hot jerks who made me feel not very good about myself! And I’ve been keeping up with a steady art practice for several months now. It’s been grand, and I’d like to share with you a few things I’ve been discovering. … More Keep Making Art And See What Happens
When Vicki and I started this blog, we went back and forth on what the right name was as we tried to find the right blend of authentic conversation and available domain name. We landed on Sharing the Heart of the Matter because it felt like it honored the space for story-telling and finding the … More Episode 29: Accidental Philanthropists with Dr. Gerald Stein
We all have different ideas of what a self-care looks like for ourselves – ideas that match our personality and phase of life. But for all the variation in style, there is a central question of how to make self-care stick. So in this episode, Vicki and I talk about the little hacks that help … More Episode 28: How Self-Care Can Make Us Better Humans with Vicki Atkinson
Have you had a joy snack today? It’s when you stop to take in something that might otherwise go unnoticed but when you pay attention, you get a bite of joy. I’d never heard of joy snacks before this podcast conversation I had with meditation and yoga teacher, and massage therapist, Deirdre Wilcox, but tidbits … More Episode 27: The Power of the Pause with Deirdre Wilcox
I’ve come to think of having a comment from Dr. Gerald Stein as a badge of honor for a post. His comments, generously bestowed, reflect a gentle sense of humor, and a great sense of perspective and wisdom. Which is a good description for his blog posts as well. His writing often draws from his … More Episode 20: The Art of the Interview with Dr. Gerald Stein
This month we continue to focus on the topic of growth here at Heart of the Matter and this post is another in my short series about writing my mother’s story in my upcoming book, “Surviving Sue”. Thank you to those of you who’ve asked about maintaining the motivation to write. In this post I’ll … More Find Good Everywhere
I was prepared for the interview. I had done my homework and was ready for anything. I had my resume laid out in front of me, so that I could speak to specific skills and experiences that I wanted to highlight. I had a separate list of questions that I wanted to raise. I even … More You decide: Team Eeyore or Team Tigger?
Apparently, it’s hard to be 3 1/2 years old. It comes with a lot of “I don’t want to” and “I’m not going to” and more generally, “Argh” and “Noooo.” On a recent morning after Mr. D didn’t want to get dressed, didn’t want to go to school, didn’t want to talk about it, I … More Growing Like a Weed
The Heart of the Matter 