As I reflect on yesterday’s tragic shootings in Tucson, Arizona, I find it brings up for me many questions.  How about you?  Questions such as:

• Can incidents like this be prevented in the future?
• What is the true, full story of what led this young man, Jared Lee Loughner, to do what he did?
• How much was the ‘verbal political vitriol’ present in today’s world (and spread more widely/rapidly because of today’s technology, and practiced by some of today’s politicians and entertainment figures) part of the cause, if at all?
• Do we have a failed mental health and/or criminal justice system?
• How do we reconcile the issue of ‘freedom to carry guns’ with the need to provide some level of protection?

I do know this: all of us have an emotional ‘system’ if you will, that includes the tool of anger.  And, if we look at the issue of evolution, it’s true that today is a time where many of us are ‘catching up’ to become more skilled in the healthy acknowledgement and expression of this important emotion.   We can’t, for example, go out and punch someone for a verbal disagreement like some of our ancestors did.

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In my early years as a coach and therapist I, like many other helpers, often looked for the more complicated, more dramatic or exotic reasons for a person’s unhappiness or distress.  Now that I’m ‘older, battle tested/scarred and wiser’ (hehehe), I know to initially ask my clients about those simple, but not-so-obvious issues, such as sleep, that might underlie one’s ‘presenting’ problem!

Sleep?  Sleep, you ask?  What’s sleep got to do with your stress levels or your partner’s insensitivity?

Well, it turns out that your sleep habits have A LOT to do with the quality of your daytime, i.e.: awake life!  (more…)

Wow!  This is a story that continues to intrigue.  Chely Wright, country singer, has announced she’s gay.  So, what’s so remarkable about this coming out story?

As Chely just spoke of on the Today Show, there is still a risk in the country music world, and among it’s fans, of being ostracized.  After all, she said, country music has always been associated with god, America and family.

I haven’t read Chely’s new book yet, Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer, but it certainly seems a must read.

Chely states (more…)

Bill Daley of The Chicago Tribune reports a celebrity gay couple has spoken out publicly in response to recent homophobic comments made at a college talk by 2008 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.

During the talk, Huckabee said he believes gays shouldn’t be allowed to adopt.  He dissed gays as parents by complaining that when it comes to parenting children, ‘we aren’t dealing with puppies’.

Well now, there is much I can say about that comment, but, suffice it to say (more…)

I just finished up my lunch break while watching yesterday’s Oprah Show. Her guest was none other than Rosie O’Donnell, who Oprah noted, ‘hasn’t been on her show in 13 years’.

I enjoyed the interview immensely. Rosie was her usual charismatic self. With a dollop of humility even. A friend of mine asked if she ‘talked bad about anyone’ as apparently that might have been some of the hype to get people to tune in.

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Therein lies the big question. Well, maybe for some of us. I know the way Carol Leifer was treated and/or perceived by her heterosexual female teammates on last night’s season premiere episode of Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice hit me funny.

It might be just me, but I wondered if the fact Carol got ‘thrown under the bus’ first had anything to do with subtle homophobic feelings other female contestants on her team felt towards her?

I’m not saying those feelings are big, intentional or even conscious.  But, perhaps they were there, subtly affecting the perceptions of the heterosexual women on Carol’s team.  Either way it was a hard position for all the women.  Perhaps Carol really was the ‘weakest link’?

I know that one tense conflict we were shown during the contest was Holly asking Carol to get out front to bring in to identify and bring in bigger donors and Carol not listening.  And Carol stating that Holly ‘didn’t want to break a nail’ to work harder.  Meow, cat fight!

One thing I noticed is this: Cyndi Lauper stuck to her guns and wouldn’t talk anyone down, including Leifer. True, blue gay friendly that’s Cyndi.

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