(To hear the audio recording of this blog post, click on the white triangle in the black line above) “I’m not really a speaker; I’m more of a writer,” Jordan, a participant in my public speaking workshop, explains. Her dark brown hair frames her pretty face. “What do you write?” I ask. “My blog. It’s trustingadventure.com.” […]
The Place Between Panic and Rock Star Read More »
“Mom, I’m going to stop saying, ‘Um,’ starting now,” my 11-year old declares one night as I tuck him into bed. He then begins to tell me about his day. “So, mom, um…oh come on!” I smile, “Try it again.” “I really had fun today at the game when, um…oh rats!” “It’s hard, isn’t it?” He
3 Steps to Cure Your Ums Read More »
I lug heavy cast iron skillets to the wash station across from our campsite and grouch. Grumble, gripe, grouch. I pass my husband and boys playing cornhole. I could ask them to help but I would rather play the martyr, sigh, and grouch my grouchy hands into the soapy water to scrub bacon grease off
The Secret of the Happy Janitor Read More »
“You are way too blunt.” “You’re not blunt! You just tell it like it is!” “I appreciate your small talk. It makes me feel like you care.” “Enough small talk already- just get to the point!” Ever been completely confused by people’s contrasting opinions of your communication style? Ever been bewildered, trying to figure out
The Art of Mirroring Read More »
“Ben is trying to steal Jackson from me!” My son was distraught. The friend he thought was his “best friend” was spending a lot of time with another friend. “I know. It’s hard when it looks that way,” I said. Then I asked, “So what’s the scariest thing about that for you?” Big tears welled
“Let it Go”- Jealousy in Friendship Read More »
It’s April 27, 2001, 7:30pm. In an old theater, a hope-filled boyfriend kneels on a stage floor and offers his girlfriend a ring and life together. She smiles, “Yes!” Happy tears. He pours juice into the cup, bought especially for this occasion. He breaks the bread. They share communion. Community. Communication. They share. Wedding day.
Communicating with our children at any age can be downright tricky. My redheaded 9-year old regularly throws me for a loop and leaves me dizzy. Recently he scraped his leg pretty badly from falling off of a skateboard (I learned that he had been wearing roller blades at the time. Go figure.) That night, I
Reverse Psychology for the Redhead Read More »
“Amazing, simply amazing. Melt-in-your mouth. Your mama was a keeper.” Beth watched her dad’s mouth move, describing the delectable German chocolate cakes her mom used to bake, but all she could think was, “He’s a diabetic! He should not be talking about mom’s cakes. He’s only making it harder for himself.” Beth didn’t know it,
“Say What?” The 5 Levels of Listening Read More »
Dear Holly, How are you? I have enclosed an article for you. It says that couples who live together before they get married have a 50 percent higher divorce rate than couples who don’t. I thought you might want to know that before you move in with Sam. Love, Heidi It was a desperate letter.
Share from Your Heart Read More »
“Can we talk for a minute?” I pull my friend into another room where we can talk privately. And then I breathe deep. I am about to enter into a courageous conversation. Ironically, during the 8 hours prior, I had taught a few hundred C3 conference participants how to have a courageous conversation. And like
A Statement of Value Read More »