Survivor’s Guilt

Posted on August 27, 2023 by msw blog

Something that we do a lot in our communities—I don’t just want to say in New Orleans, but something that we do in my type of neighborhoods—is we compare trauma. We wear our trauma as armor. So, because I wasn’t actually in the water, I always said, “I don’t have trauma.” There are people being airlifted off of roofs and people who drowned and people who lost their parents, why do you need to be in this story? But then once I got older, my trauma started to surface in different ways. It just wasn’t the same as everybody else’s, but trauma is trauma. This film helped me to begin that process of finding my own trauma and healing. – Edward Buckley Jr

Positively Purging-I welcome your feedbacks in the comments and your likes and passing the real life wisdom on to others as I embark on this new venture of “positively purging“, as I know each of these pieces represents something…

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Meet Your Mom at the Airport !

Posted on August 27, 2023 by msw blog

My nephew recently reported that no, he wouldn’t pick up his 77-year-old mother from the airport. “Besides,” he said, “It’s easier to get a taxi, Uber or Lyft.”

To that remark, I say: “Easier for whom?”

Visiting your loved ones means packing, schlepping, going through security, plus crowds and possible delays – not to mention the expense.

So is it too much to expect that the person you’re going to visit might make the trek to the airport to pick you up?

Let me put it this way. After an arduous journey, seeing a familiar, loving face and then getting a big hug means your journey is over. Whew!

Climbing into even the nicest hired car means you’re still traveling – sitting in the back of a car, alone, on one more leg of your journey.

Nowadays it’s common to outsource everything. Let’s not outsource love and compassion.

– Disappointed Aunt

Dear Aunt: Picking someone up (or taking them to) the airport is such a signal of intimacy that it has entered popular culture. From “When Harry Met Sally” to “Seinfeld,” the act of transporting a person to or from the airport shows that you care. A lot.

I’m reminded of those wonderful opening and closing scenes in the movie “Love Actually,” consisting of an extended montage of people greeting one another at an airport terminal and – hugging their hearts out.

When I travel, I fly in and out of an airport serving a nearby Army base (hello, 10th Mountain Division!). You want a scene that will stop you in your tracks? Watch a servicemember returning home after a deployment.

I’m publishing your thoughtful letter as a public service to far-flung families everywhere.

Dude. Meet your mom at the airport! It’s a beautiful act of love.

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The Power of Crisis

Posted on August 26, 2023 by msw blog

Crisis can break us or save us– or…

Positively Purging-I welcome your feedbacks in the comments and your likes and passing the real life wisdom on to others as I embark on this new venture of “positively purging“, as I know each of these pieces represents something…

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Mini-Meditation and Pick a Project

Posted on August 26, 2023 by msw blog

Take some time to recenter yourself with a meditation break. This will allow you to fully absorb what’s around you. First, you’ll want to set aside some time — at least 10 minutes and up to an hour — to take in your space, with no distractions. That means turning off the TV, silencing your phone, and closing up the windows. Then, take the time you set aside to look around your home, carefully. Here are some things you might want to ask yourself as you do: 

  • How does it make me feel?
  • What do I appreciate about this room?
    If I took everything out, what would I immediately want to bring back in?
  • What could enhance it?
    Would it be improved with better lighting, seating, or colors?

Now that you see your space in a new light, with key thoughts on what you love about it or what could make it better, let’s do something about it. Take this refreshed energy and channel it into selecting one home project off your to-do list that you want to work on this month. This project should fit one or more of the following criteria:

  • It can be something you 100-percent complete this month (small enough to fit on your upcoming scheduled.)
  • It can be a larger project with the caveat that you understand you are only making strides toward completing it at this time and setting yourself up to complete it in a reasonable amount of time. This will require you to do some scheduling afterward.
  • It has to make a noticeable difference in your home, whether it’s how something works or looks. It could be a priority item from your list or something new that resonates with you.

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Flowers

Posted on August 25, 2023 by msw blog

Flowers should steal the show – not blend in like chorus- Bob Vardaman

 Positively Purging-I welcome your feedbacks in the comments and your likes and passing the real life wisdom on to others as I embark on this new venture of “positively purging“, as I know each of these pieces represents something…

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