38 Special

By Julie Strzyz

October 21^st marked my 38^th birthday.  I’ve always been a huge fan of celebrating birthdays – especially my own – but this birthday hit me a bit differently.  You see, my father passed away at the age of 38 (when I was only 9 years old).  He was a bright, talented guy with many gifts. Unfortunately, he didn’t share those gifts due to fear: fear of failure, fear of imperfection, fear of what others would think, etc.  He let fear cripple him and it ended his life early, leaving behind a young wife and daughter.

As a child, 38 seemed forever and a day away.  But we all know what time does: it flies! So here 38 is…screaming and staring at me in the face. And I am scared. Scared that I will let fear win by not doing all the things I want to do and somehow have the same fate as my dad.

Say Yes to YOU Instead

By Julie Strzyz

Let’s face it, we are in an era of pure overwhelm. We are constantly inundated with messages via text, email, social media, etc. as well as requests for our time and attention. Whether it is receiving messages about a project to which you apparently need to respond ASAP or being asked to volunteer for yet another one of your child’s activities, it simply becomes too much. Yet we keep saying yes. To everything. Every time.

We say yes to things we never really wanted to do in the first place because we either feel obligated or do not want to disappoint others – or both.