Recently, my husband and I have been dealing with a beehive that has nestled into our tree. We hired professionals to treat the problem, only to find the bees continued to swarm. Soon after, our neighbor was stung. The professionals returned and again claimed victory. We thought the problem was solved. But it wasn’t. The pros told us the tree needed to come down. So down it went, leaving only a tree stump exposing the remains of the hive. I bet you can guess what happened next. Yup. The bees returned. Believe it or not, the next day, we found an army of ants invading our kitchen. They marched in a line that led straight from the outdoors. So we…

While relaxing on the back patio this week, we noticed something peering out from underneath the outdoor furniture cover. It was a gecko. The gecko kept looking from side to side to see if it was OK to come from beneath the tarp. I found this to be funny, because I’ve spent the better part of the past two years trying to quiet my inner lizard. “What’s an inner lizard?” you ask? You’re probably more acquainted with your inner lizard than you may realize. Martha Beck coined the term “inner lizard” and teaches the concept in her book “Steering by Starlight”.  It’s another way of describing the deepest layers of our brains that first evolved in reptiles. Its purpose is…

I remember reaching a crossroads in my life twenty years ago. I had grown tired of the city I was living in. All my friends were getting married and having kids, but I was immersed in my career – both of them – at the time. While my friends were settling down, I was becoming more adventurous. Suddenly, out of the blue, I received an offer from my company to move across the country, leaving everything familiar behind. When you’re at a crossroads, it can be hard to make a decision. “What if” questions stir up fears about the future. What if it doesn’t work out? What if I made a mistake? What if I find myself all alone? Those…