In her book Anything is Possible, Elizabeth Strout writes: She was “a woman who suffered only from the most common complaint of all: Life had simply not been what she thought it would be.” I’ve decided that Strout is one of my favorite authors, and I just read, both for the second time, her books […]
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A lone old tree
by resolutewoman on August 14, 2018 in book, friends, resolute-women
Emily Carr, born in 1871, captured the grandeur of British Columbia in her paintings. I had never heard of this wonderful artist until my friend Eva sent me the book Emily Carr Collected for my birthday. How wonderful to have good friends who introduce you to new artists and new ideas and new adventures! Carr […]
The past expands
by resolutewoman on August 4, 2018 in book, change
I am having a major birthday this month. My book club defines a major birthday as one that involves a change in decades. And, I do feel older. I also feel as if I should be grown up by now. But, if I’m grown up, why do old issues and old emotions keep creeping into […]
A new book club
by resolutewoman on June 7, 2018 in book, confidence, courage
I helped organize my book club—The Easy Readers—more than 30 years ago. This summer I’m joining a new book club. It’s a Girl Scout book club—the 3 Cs Mother/Daughter Book Club. The three Cs refer to the Girl Scout mission—“Building girls of courage, confidence and character.” Along with the second and third graders in the […]
Summer reading
by resolutewoman on May 24, 2018 in book, children
Once a week during this school year, I have visited a junior high student at a school only a few blocks from my house. She will be in the eighth grade next year, and I have been her mentor since she was in the fourth grade. I want to be sure that she has plenty […]
Vote!
by resolutewoman on April 21, 2018 in book, change, resolute-women
We “can march in knit hats and go to town-hall meetings, but, if everyone voted, things would change,” Cecile Richards, outgoing Planned Parenthood president told Time magazine in its April 9, 2018, issue. Read Cecile Richards new book. I just did! Keep marching in the streets. And plan to vote. –Joy
Wanting to belong
by resolutewoman on March 13, 2018 in balance, book, courage
Jhumpa Lahiri writes about what it means to be on the outside looking in. “It’s that desperation to want to belong—to not be all these pieces—to be concrete—to be at the same time one thing,” Lahiri told the audience at an Arts & Letters Live presentation in Dallas on January 30. Lahiri was born in […]
Talk less. Listen more.
by resolutewoman on March 10, 2018 in book, families, friends
Todd Davis reminds us of the importance of listening in his book Get Better—15 Proven Practices to Build Effective Relationships at Work. “One of the most profound gifts you can give another human being is your sincere understanding,” he writes. “To do so requires clearing away your mental clutter, suspending (at least temporarily) your agenda […]
Be humble
by resolutewoman on March 8, 2018 in book, change
Todd Davis stresses the importance of being humble in his book Get Better—15 Proven Practices to Build Effective Relationships at Work. “Humility is the wisdom needed to accurately assess my strengths and weaknesses,” he writes. “Humility reminds me to be patient with myself and others—and to know that we are all in the process of […]
Carry your own weather
by resolutewoman on March 6, 2018 in book, depression, happiness, health
I’m ready for summer. It has been rainy, cloudy, cool for days. Sometimes I let the weather affect my mood. And, sometimes, I let stormy relationships with the people around me depress me. “Carry your own weather,” advises Todd Davis in his book Get Better—15 Proven Practices to Build Effective Relationships at Work. I have […]
What’s this site about?
We wrote our book and we’re writing our blog because we were frustrated. We were frustrated with experts who try to tell people how to lose weight, raise their children and improve their marriages—and be a success—in 10 easy steps. In three weeks. In one book.
Our self-help book and blog are for grownups—for women who know that there are no easy answers to life’s complex problems—that finding solutions requires some self-knowledge and self-searching and hard work.
We want to help women discover their own answers and live with them as their guide. We want to help you and other women Help Yourself!
We write about making changes and also about many other issues important to women, including families, friends, work and food.
