I grew up in a small upstate New York town in the afterglow of WWII when the US was economically flourishing. I had the good fortune to live in a peaceful neighborhood, with loving parents and a stable home environment.

We often attribute our limitations to childhood “baggage” –– those familiar disabling habits and unresolved issues that seem to weigh us down and block us from being proactive when challenges arise.

Miscommunication can start in any number of ways. And vacation plans, while they may be fun to think about at first, are one of the most common situations in which we get mired in misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and resentful irritation. I'll tell you a story of one couple who experienced this, and how they got out of it.

It had never occurred to me to ask my mind, “Why are you confusing me with these thoughts?” But eventually, I decided to give it a try. You can use the same method to overcome worry and get your inspiration back!

In ancient poems and teaching stories, you may have noticed that the mind is often referred to as a monkey, “the monkey mind.” The mind is also sometimes described as an unruly horse on which we are riding, more or less skillfully. 

Much of what we call “stress” has to do with a feeling that things are “spinning out of control.” So I thought it might help to offer you a few effective steps you can take that will begin to free you from the stress of “spinning out of control.”

When my stepson was a young boy just learning to read, he was riding in the car with his mom one day. As they passed a big box toy store, he jumped up in his seat and read out loud the words of the store’s big bright banner: “The new Lion King toys are here!”