Barbara Brooks created Flamingo Strategies LLC to help clients stand up and stand out, through telling and sharing their stories of impact and purpose.
Hacking Away at Happiness is her blog.
All in Wellness
For 10 years, I was on pharmaceutical autopilot. Perhaps I should have worried about withdrawal from Zoloft, but I never did. Was my fear subconscious? My dosage was so small.
Busy keeps us from knowing what we really want. Busy gives us the illusion we’re important. Busy isn’t something to be proud of. It’s an obstacle that prevents self awareness and real connection.
If we’re aware of what scares us, and we have a plan, then maybe can find calm in the eye of the crazy storm we don’t see coming.
Thanks to the coffee mishap, ideas are percolating. So here’s what I’m thinking about change.
When I got Greta, I imagined she’d be the best dog of my life. But that’s a lot of pressure to put on a dog. And even more to put on myself.
Conflicting desires make peace of mind seem impossible, especially as we age. But longing is what makes us human. And without our longings, we’d be numb.
The brain on praise is a beautiful thing. Giving praise trains your brain to notice positive things in the world. We can’t acknowledge what we don’t see.
Time is a vortex that sometimes sucks us in. It takes awhile to notice when I’m spending my time on things I know are pointless. But here I am again.
A trickle charger maintains the perfect balance of power. It puts energy in at the same rate it’s draining out. It’s slow going, but it’s better in the long run for battery health.
Over-sharing can be annoying—even dangerous. Or so we’ve been told. But under-sharing also is a trap of our own making.
Now I see what’s happening: Those tricky Stoic gods tossed me a second eye surgery because I didn’t learn enough from the first one.
Losing Ruby connects me to anyone who has ever experienced loss. And anyone who ever will. So hold your pets close and your humans even closer. And don’t give up on love.
When I was an insatiable child, my mother would say “Greedy, greedy, makes a hungry puppy.” I hated that. But now I know this: “Busy, busy, makes a tired monkey.”
I returned to the hot springs. I knew there was more to see. And to say. Especially about getting old. And learning to love the skin I’m in.
As I dipped from pond-to-pond, or floated on my back, I forgot all about the male gaze. And the female gaze. Instead, I gazed inward.
Why wait until a doctor tells us our time is limited? Our time already is limited! We can do these things now.
I once dated a man who carried list of emotions in his pocket. I wore mine on my sleeve—and my list was fractionally short—so our relationship didn’t last long.
If heartbreak is inevitable and unescapable, as the poet philosopher David Whyte says, perhaps we should make friends with it. But how?
Since Covid, we’ve all been drinking more. Wine. Whiskey. Bone broth. Coffee and tea. And lots and lots of lemonade. Loaded with sugar. And watered way down. Made from silver lemons.
Time—like temperature, or space, or stimulation—is relative. The 2020 election is just two sleeps away. Change can’t come quickly enough.
