For Christmas, I offer you my best wishes and prayers along with this blog post about an awesome gift you already have received. I’m talking about your life, specifically your body.

I feel very uncomfortable when I judge other people and when I feel judged by other people. So, why can’t I ignore my feelings of being judged? And why don’t I just stop judging?

Most of us have felt stuck at one time or another. In medicine, there is no diagnostic code for a mental or physical condition called “Stuck.” But, there should be because being stuck causes much suffering.

Every time I heard the front door slam, I knew they were coming out to dump more of Marnie’s stuff into the dumpster. I tried to avoid looking across the street at that big red dumpster in the driveway of Marnie’s house. I loved her and couldn’t bear to think about all those good times and memories—Marnie’s spirit— being unceremoniously discarded into a dirty dumpster.

After I retired in 2013, I was stunned when I first learned about Adverse Childhood Events, known as ACEs, and their lifelong negative impact on individuals, families, and society…

The tired, elderly ex-offender hunched over the counter in the lobby trying to complete one of several forms required upon admission to Hope Village. He turned to the man behind him in line and hoarsely whispered “How do you spell ‘hope’?”

I recently learned of a powerful way to reframe regret.

“Why should I consider therapy? Everything is OK. Why would I want to stir up trouble?” This is what I always had said— until I finally admitted that everything wasn’t OK.

It took me decades to learn that real listening was absolutely necessary if I wanted to enjoy health of body, mind, and spirit. For years I was too busy to listen to God, to others, and even to myself.

How would you describe your relationship with work? What drives you to work and how do you feel about it? Is it stressful?