Recovery. Sobriety. Living Wise.
Please check out this second installment in the Search for Inspiration series on our homepage: www.justathoughtbypat.com. In a world so obsessed with success how is it possible to embrace defeat? The book Embracing Defeat, by John W. Dower, describes how Japan did exactly that after World War II, and in so doing, accomplished the greatest turnaround of all time. For those of us who have found embracing … Continue reading Embracing Defeat
This quote from Joseph Campbell is heartening when I am in a place of deep struggle. But doesn’t the “dark night of the soul” sometimes seem unfathomably long? When my dark nights descend upon me negativity feeds on me like a hungry mushroom, my world morphs into a small, dreary place, the sun never shines, and it’s perpetually 10 minutes before midnight. These are … Continue reading The Passing of a Dark Night
My mother-in-law is holding Jada, her lovable little mutt. It’s hard to believe, but this little dog is a descendant of ferocious wolves. What a shocking transformation. Just think of it. The aggressive wolf temperament was transformed into the temperament of a sweet dog, and this evolution took place in just 35 generations. Isn’t it true that to one degree or another we think “hard … Continue reading How Much Can We Change?
[The following is an edited version of a post originally published June 25, 2016.] We, the unwilling, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do anything with nothing.” ― Konstantin Jireček Carl Rogers, an American psychologist, developed a form of individual therapy embracing this strange and paradoxical truth: … Continue reading Living in an Upside Down World
This post was originally published on April 1, 2017. We hope you enjoy it on this Mother’s Day. Our mothers often are the ones who teach us to guard the access to our souls. My mother was born in the early part of the last century. She, like many in her generation, was a distant parent, not overly demonstrative in expressing emotion. Mom was loving, … Continue reading Living As a Solitary Soul