News — Womens Issues
What Gets Us Through: Trauma and the Importance of Physical Strength in Healing
Posted by Lisa Johnson on
After nearly eighteen years of a fairly stable relationship, I learned that my husband had begun an affair with a girl thirty years his junior. Stunning for anyone, yes, but more so was that my partner, whose judgment I had always respected, confessed that he and the girl had actually never met. Several sites linking her to German porn made no difference; he was convinced she was his soulmate and promised to marry her within two weeks of their email correspondence. A few months into the rocky navigation of all attempts to save a doomed marriage, my son's best friend shot himself in the head...
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- Tags: Adolescent Boy, Back Injury, Bullying, Can Do, Capable, Catfish, Celebrate Life, Conflict Resolution, Connection, Dance, Delusion, Denial, Dissolution of Long-Term Marriage, Divorce, Divorce and Children, Endurance, Expert Advice, Family, Feel Good, Fitness, Friendship, Good Idea, Gym, Happiness, Healing, Hip Hop, Love, Motherhood, Moving Out, Narcissist, Parenting, Physical Strength, Physical Therapy, PTSD, Reclaim, Recovery, Relationships, Resilience, Self-Help, Separation, Sex Addiction, Starting Over, Strength, Suicide, Tough Life Decisions, Trauma, Trust, Womens Issues, Workout, YMCA
Bringing New Life to Old Things, and the Sexiness of Nerdy Boys' Hands: Refinishing a Dresser
Posted by Lisa Johnson on
One of the big changes with my new relationship, which isn’t so new anymore, is that my boyfriend actually likes to DO things together. Instead of sitting and watching shows nearly every night as the highlight of our “time together,” he actually likes to go tag “sailing” with me on Saturday mornings, so we’re able to kill several birds with one stone: I work and spend time with him, he enjoys treasure hunting, and he’s got a great eye for stuff I miss, and is happy to stand guard while I do my last loops and revisit what I might...
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- Tags: Can Do, Capable, Cheap Gift, Connection, Crafty, Creative, Dating, Expert Advice, Garage Sale, Good Idea, Handmade Gift, Knock Your Socks Off, Lover, Men's Life, Middle Age Life, Power, Real Men, Reclaim, Recycle, Reflection of personality, Romance, Rummage Sale, Self-Sufficient, Shopping, Skill, Social Activity, Tag Sale, Talent, Upcycle, Use Your Hands, Womens Issues, Yard Sale
Dealing With Difficult People: Forgiveness in Unexpected Ways
Posted by Lisa Johnson on
When you are someone who manages to get along with practically everyone, it’s unnerving to meet a person that you just can’t seem to budge. The other day, a good friend and I were having lunch in a local cafe, and the subject of dealing with impossible people came up. A couple of years earlier, she’d had a fluke accident after her Rhodesian Ridgeback dog had spotted a deer in the backyard, lunged at it, and dragged my friend along with her. Sylvia ended up with a broken hip, and in the hospital and rehab for months. During her stay,...
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- Tags: Capable, Community Building, Conflict Resolution, Connection, Forgiveness, Friendship, Health and Wellness, Middle Age Life, Relationships, Resilience, Self-Help, Self-Sufficient, Starting Over, Strength, Womens Issues
Tag, Rummage, Estate, and Garage Sales: The Good, The Bad, and How to Tell If It's Worth Your Time
Posted by Lisa Johnson on
Tag sale season is right around the corner. My inventory is low, and I am hungry. As the ads start to appear on Craigslist, as well as the occasional sign stapled to a telephone pole, I feel stirrings inside, and get ready for the hunt. But not all sales are created equal, and as the season slowly begins, I have to be careful not to race right out to everything I see, no matter how tempting. There are the wonderful sales, and the ones that are a complete waste of time. Here is a general guide to a few types...
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- Tags: Capitalism, Cheap Gift, Community Building, Connection, Creative, Environmental, Finance, Garage Sale, Grassroots, Men's Life, Money, Parenting, Recycling, Rummage Sale, Shopping, Skill, Social Activity, Tag Sale, Upcycle, Women and Business, Womens Issues
How To Marry the Wrong Person: The Power of Underestimating Oneself
Posted by Lisa Johnson on
Date someone after you've been out of the country for a year and starved for intellectual companionship. Even though he's kind of dumpy, wears the same pair of too-tight black Levis for weeks on end, and sports a hairpiece at the age of 30, convince yourself that he’s attractive enough. When you first take a shower at his house, ask for a towel. When he gives you a shredded orange rag from the floor of his closet, pretend that it’s funny. Ditto for the t-shirt covered with dog fur. Pretend the pyramid of dirty tissues you find is amusing...
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- Tags: Affirmation, Can Do, Denial, Dissolution of Long-Term Marriage, Divorce, Divorce and Children, Hope, Men's Life, Mothering, Narcissist, Reclaim, Self-Help, Separation, Split, Starting Over, Strength, Womens Issues