I am currently working towards a Master’s of Applied Positive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. My classmates and I were given the assignment of creating a positivity portfolio in which we were to choose a positive emotion to focus on and collect pictures, poems, songs, letters, tokens, etc that are meaning for us withinContinue reading “An Open Letter to the People in my Life”
Author Archives: Fireflies and Jars
Canyon of Compromise: A Parable
Two backpackers met for coffee to discuss their next backcountry excursion. One backpacker was a father. A blue backpack rested by his dusty hiking boots. The other backpacker was a daughter. Her red backpack was bulging with gear. Father laid his map on the table between their mugs and directed their route to the topContinue reading “Canyon of Compromise: A Parable”
Life: Who’s Got the Map?
We had been paddling all day. I sat in the front of the canoe, slick with sweat from exerting myself beneath the Florida sun. I was hot and tired, and where is a lady to use the bathroom while paddling in a canoe for hours around the thousand island region of Everglades National Park? I couldContinue reading “Life: Who’s Got the Map?”
A Visit to Chrysalis School Montana
Out of the airplane window, I could see Montana’s blue and white mountains beginning to form below the wisps of crisp clouds. A sense of peace flooded my heart as I drew closer and closer to those mountains.
For the Doubting Adventurer
For as long as I can remember, I longed for a sense of spontaneity and adventure. I relished in far off stories of traveling friends. I longed for wide open roads, dirt paths, beaches and mountains. “So why not go?” they would ask me. “Why not just take off?” I’d roll my eyes. I hadContinue reading “For the Doubting Adventurer”
Surviving the Situation
Last week, someone asked me the following question: Have you ever been in a situation you didn’t want to be in, but dealt with it anyway? How did it turn out? Clad in a business suit and high heels, I sat in a corporate office, poised and confident. I had to smile as my mindContinue reading “Surviving the Situation”
Searching for Meaning this New Year
Each year, as the clock approaches midnight on December 31st, I delve through a quick mental scan of the past year. It’s what we all do, right? Even those of us who don’t make resolutions. Even those of us who do, but drop them a week or a month later. We still reflect. New YearsContinue reading “Searching for Meaning this New Year”
Mothers
Don’t forget the 17-year-old Hispanic girl who came to the coast having given birth to a daughter less than one month prior. She had come to the coast with her school class to participate in an outdoor education program for a week during which she would help mentor and teach hoards of obnoxious wild 6th-graders.Continue reading “Mothers”
The Going Green Mental Health Trend
Last week, our world leaders met in Paris, France in order to attend the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference to discuss our world, our environment, and our goals for the future. Our World. Our Environment. Our Goals.
A Lesson in Gratitude
“It’s Thanksgiving morning, we’re stuck in the woods, and you’re making us hike!?” “It will be worth it! I promise.” I replied, hoisting my day-pack over my shoulders. The group of adolescent guys converged at the trailhead to wait for the day’s venture. Their boots were worn. There was ash tarnishing the fabric of their jacketsContinue reading “A Lesson in Gratitude”
