I don’t enjoy writing about suicide. Even though I know it’s an important subject, there’s a part of me that always worries that talking about it will encourage others to consider it. Taking your life is never the right answer. Never. With September being Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, I can’t ignore the subject completely. The painful reality is, if you have bipolar disorder, you will think about suicide. Probably much more often than you’ll want to admit. Another harsh truth is that...
about 1 month ago • 10 min read
Rumor has it 4 out of 5 people want to write a book. You would think you would know hundreds of authors, but most of us only know a few, if any at all. This week, it became painfully clear why so many never hit the finish line. Writing and PUBLISHING a book is hard. I’m talking walking-barefoot-over-hot-coals-during-a-hurricane-while-carrying-three-babies hard. It took nearly three years to get my book from first draft to publication. You could say even longer since some chapters came from...
2 months ago • 7 min read
It’s finally here! I’m checking one of my oldest dreams off my list. In November 2021, I was sitting at my day-job desk one morning thinking about my readers. Many were dreading the holiday season, and I wanted to help. Then came a lightbulb moment. I could create a 30-day email course to give my readers the strength they needed to make it through those tough months. The 30 Days of Positivity Course was born, and the rest, as they say, is history. After the first 100 participants finished the...
3 months ago • 6 min read
A week ago Friday, despite the heat and high humidity, I pushed myself to mow the lawn. It was supposed to rain all weekend, so I thought it was worth the painful toll to get the yard finished. I was wrong. The price was much higher than I expected. Though I had everything written for last Sunday’s newsletter, I was powerless to finish editing and formatting the content. So this week, I’m sharing what I had planned for last Sunday. On Wednesday of last week, I virtually attended the annual...
3 months ago • 12 min read
When I chose “change” as my word for 2024, I knew some of that change would be painful. And so it is. Last Friday (May 24), just after dinner, with my mom and I and two of our dearest friends sitting by his side, my dad exhaled for the last time. No matter how ready you think you are, you never are. Every loved one is taken from you too soon. I was so grateful to have my newsletter for last Sunday already written and scheduled because there was no thinking after that. In the next few hours, I...
5 months ago • 9 min read
May is Mental Health Awareness month. I was surprised to learn the campaign goes back to 1949 and was started by Mental Health America (MHA). This year’s theme, Where to Start: Mental Health in a Changing World, reminds us that dealing with life’s pressures can be overwhelming, and everyone deserves to feel supported and empowered to seek help when needed. One of the great things MHA provides is a simple web tool to help you get started. And let’s face it, in the struggle to get care for your...
5 months ago • 10 min read
Sometimes all you need is a kind gesture to turn your day around. For me this week, that kindness came as a carrot cake prepared by my boss’s wife. Now this was no ordinary carrot cake. This was a magical carrot cake. Every bite triggered fireworks and bliss on an otherworldly level. It’s undeniably the best cake I’ve ever had. The flavors were so wonderful that for a few minutes I forgot how little sleep I’ve been getting. I closed my eyes, and the sweet goodness pushed the 50 tax files on...
6 months ago • 8 min read
This week was hard. March 15th is the second biggest due date during tax season, when partnership and S-corporation returns are due. As I fight to get as many returns finished as possible before the deadline, there’s little energy or time left for anything else. I know the worst is over in 36 days, so if I can just keep going, it will end soon. My body is fighting against me. The exhaustion is triggering FMF attacks TK, and my allergies are making sleep even more elusive than usual. I’m not...
7 months ago • 4 min read
Note: This newsletter is a few hours late. After work last night, I was too tired to edit and publish. Thanks for your patience! This week, I had 11 meetings with tax clients, 3 appointments with doctors, 2 training webinars, and a partridge in a pear tree. Oh, wait, the last one might be part of something else. My eyes are blood red, my head stuffed with wool, and I’m stumbling around like the guy in those old Dunkin Donut commercials mumbling, “It’s time to make the donuts.” Living with...
8 months ago • 8 min read