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Tango Lessons — The Benefits of Being Klutzy
It was 1999. I needed something new. A creative outlet. A way to meet new people and improve my social skills. I had always been attracted to dancing but had never taken classes, unless you include my brief stint with ballet at age 11 with the strict, intimidating Russian woman who terrified me. I decided…
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Tango Therapy
(To my bloggEEs: This is my second personal musing. It is a piece I wrote a while ago about how my tango adventure began. Let me know what you think in the comments. It is longer than my usual blog entry and it also includes a video of an actual tango lesson I had some…
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The Pressure To Always Be The Smartest One In The Room
It is embarrassing. Nerve wracking. Anxiety provoking. I do not know what I am doing. I am not in control. Everyone else has it figured out. Except me. What was I thinking when I signed up for this class? I would drop it right now but somewhere in me I know I need it. I…
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Exceptional and Profound Giftedness In Adults — What Does It Look Like? Why Should We Care?
Diya, 35, was struggling with anxiety, career decisions, graduate school, and loneliness. She left a prestigious professional school in the final year because it was too rigid and restrictive. Professors and other students ridiculed her and left her feeling embarrassed, particularly when she asked penetrating questions. At times she felt compelled not to ask questions…
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Tips for Aging Well When You Have a Rainforest Mind (And Overexcitable Hair)
I am in my sixties. That sounds OLD to me. AARP. Medicare. Senior discounts. Golf. Geezerville. But I don’t feel OLD. In fact, other than some possible hidden creeping potential decrepitude (!), I think 60-something is kind of fine. Pretty great, actually. You, too, can have a pretty-great-actually time into your 60s and beyond. Here’s…
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I Ditched the PHD for the Argentine Tango or If I’m so Smart, Why Aren’t I an Astrophysicist?
I thought I should get a PhD. It made sense. There was a professor who asked to mentor me. I wanted to write a book. So, I thought, why not write a book and get a PhD at the same time? I applied. Was accepted into a program. Got funded. Then I thought. How many…
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Psychotherapy and the Argentine Tango–A Secret to Successful Aging
I admit it. I’m sixty-something. Hard to believe, because I was thirty-something yesterday. But I know a secret to success in your post-menopausal or geezer-ish years. And I’m going to share it with you. Two things: One: Get lots of psychotherapy and then set up your own practice. (if you can’t set up a practice,…
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If I’m So Smart, Why Do I Feel So Lost and Alone?
There are times when you just want to scream. Even though you’re a pacifist. Even though your instinct is to be compassionate and understanding. Even though you have empathy that overwhelms you. There are those days when you just want to say, “Why are there so many f—ed up, insensitive, clueless, exasperating people in the…