In the early 1970s, surveys showed that about half of the people in this country believed most people were trustworthy. By 2020, the number had fallen to less than one-third. And, many people who don’t trust others fear them. However, fear has to be justified by the circumstances, says Geoffrey Corn, chair of criminal law […]
A single drop
by resolutewoman on April 4, 2023 in change, courage, sexism, Uncategorized
Manal Al-Sharif was put in prison in Saudi Arabia when she dared to drive in 2011. It was seven years later, in 2018, when women finally were allowed to drive in the country. As Manal Al-Sharif says in her book Daring to Drive, “The rain begins with a single drop.”
Don’t be afraid
by resolutewoman on March 25, 2023 in courage, resolute-women
“Don’t be afraid,” says Naguib Mahfouz. “Fear won’t prevent death; it prevents life.” I found this quote in Manal Al-Sharif’s book Daring to Drive. –Joy
Keep swimming–and keep singing
by resolutewoman on March 23, 2023 in cancer, courage, friends, health, Uncategorized
My friend whose husband has brain cancer visited me. What can we do when something bad happens? Sometimes you can take action to find a solution, but sometimes there is no solution. These words are from a poem from How Beautiful the Beloved by Gregory Orr. One of the best kinds of friends are friends […]
Happy?
by resolutewoman on March 2, 2023 in courage, happiness
What do you need to be happy? In his book, Endurance, Alfred Lansing writes about Earnest Shackleton and his 28-man crew, who were stranded in an island of ice in the Antarctica for 17 months in 1914 and 1915. With little food—and without cell phones! Lansing remarks about Dr. Alexander Macklin’s “good humor.” Dr. Macklin […]
One year of war
by resolutewoman on February 23, 2023 in courage, grief, peace, Uncategorized
February 24, 2023, marks one year of war for Ukraine’s people. One year ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Russia that the consequences would be “an abundance of pain, filth, blood and death….War is a huge calamity. This calamity carries a huge cost—in every meaning of this world.” Say a prayer for the people of […]
Truth
by resolutewoman on February 17, 2023 in character, confidence, courage
Sometimes, it is difficult to know what to believe. We hope Sojourner Truth was right when she said, “Truth is powerful and it prevails.”
Catastrophizing
by resolutewoman on February 7, 2023 in animals, courage, overwhelmed
My neighbor took a photo of a bobcat one morning recently—at the house across the street from ours. Yikes! We overreacted—and worried about our dog Jack—and all of the smaller dogs and the cats in the neighborhood. Disaster! However, my friend Mary, a retired biologist, didn’t panic. “How exciting,” she said. “Not very many people […]
Easy answers and half-truths
by resolutewoman on January 31, 2023 in change, character, courage
A friend sent me these words recently—from a Franciscan blessing for justice and peace. May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, hard hearts, half-truths and superficial relationships. May God bless youso that you may live from deep within your heartwhere God’s Spirit dwells. May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and […]
How dare they?
by resolutewoman on January 24, 2023 in change, courage, Uncategorized
Vice President Harris says we must fight for a woman’s right to control her body. She spoke on January 22, 2023—the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v Wade, the decision that guaranteed a woman’s right to abortion. She spoke in protest of a recent Supreme Court decision that took away that […]
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.