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Category Archives: Community

Training Missions for Eccentrics

Friday, April 17, 2009

“You can’t get to be a charming eccentric in old age without being weird in youth.” ~ Stacie, Idiosyncratic Daydream Pull up your striped socks, slip into your funkiest shoes, check your wild red hair in the mirror, and head out the door to spend the day making people gawk. Or … say what no […]

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Funny Practice

Monday, April 13, 2009

“What did the waiter say when the couple … no, wait, that’s not it. Sorry. … A couple sits down at a table in a restaurant and orders the daily special. When the waiter asks … Oh, rats! Just hang on. How did that go?” I’m a big fan of funny. Who’s not? Laughter heals, […]

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A Forgiving Tale

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Once upon a time, there was a brash young woman who thought she had answers, the answers, enlightening answers. She considered it her responsibility to share her brilliant revelations with the people closest to her, even though she knew they would be deeply hurt. “The truth is the truth,” she told herself. “They need to […]

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Kudos for Sensitivity

Monday, March 16, 2009

Who do you know who’s sensitive or highly sensitive in a way that makes your life better? Your child? Your brother? Your best friend? Your co-workers? Your baker? Your doctor? Tell them. Soon. There’s a don’t-wait theme running through Highly Sensitive Power – for an important reason. We can’t wait. We can’t wait for society […]

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Are We in Community?

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Are we in community together, you and I, even if I don’t know you’re reading this? Even if I don’t know where you are? Even if the sound of your voice remains a mystery to me and you’ll never see my eyes light up when you walk into the room? Are we in community even […]

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Book | Orbiting the Giant Hairball

Monday, February 23, 2009

“Why would anyone want to suppress genius? Well, it is not intentional. It is not a plot. Genius is an innocent casualty in society’s efforts to train children away from natural-born foolishness.” ~ Gordon MacKenzie “Orville Wright did not have a pilot’s license.” ~ Gordon MacKenzie Gordon MacKenzie may have spent the bulk of his […]

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Announcing the New Services Page

Friday, February 20, 2009

UPDATE in 2012: For current services and contact information, see instead the Writer’s Shepherd page on my new website, The Curious Writer. There’s a new page of resources on Highly Sensitive Power. On the Services page you’ll find information about various ways I can help you reach your goals. The page will be updated as […]

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Love’s Slope

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Scree slopes of little moments compose the mountains of our relationships. We slide around, grabbing for footholds. We stretch out our arms for balance, fall, and lift handfuls of history. The ugly dress she wore on the first date. The way he held the hurt bird. The clouds that day. The small bed. Your brother’s […]

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Conversations Between Me and U

Monday, February 9, 2009

It’s all very nice to believe in a power greater than myself – some version of a beneficent overseer with management capabilities that boggle the mind – but I want a personal relationship, not a vague idea or a one-way yearning. Over the years, that desire has led me to develop a system of getting […]

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Book Concepts

Monday, January 12, 2009

Raise your hand if you love books. I raised both hands, to doubly demonstrate my love for books and to remove all doubt that I am, indeed, a teacher-pleasing nerd. So be it, particularly if my book radar continues to locate concepts like these: Book Towns – I can hardly think of a better way […]

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Empowering Sensitivity

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Highly Sensitive Power began six months ago as a website for highly sensitive people. That it attracts readers who are not highly sensitive by the standards of Elaine Aron’s self-test has been a surprise. The test for high sensitivity is not as definite as a test for pregnancy. The range of sensitivity extends in both […]

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The High Demand for Sensitivity

Monday, December 29, 2008

What if sensitivity was in high demand? Not only high sensitivity, but sensitivity in general. What if the rareness of your particular sensitive traits prompted competition for your time, attention, and insights? Recruiters have to be turned away by your assistants. You’ve set the cost of tapping into your skills high, and yet there’s a […]

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Hidden Lives Revealed

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Humans survive through automatic judgment – our minds excel at making instant assumptions. Not that cave – smells bad. He creeps me out. She’s hiding something. All fine and good, until we ignore input that challenges those assumptions. In the serene first-class compartment of a TGV train in France last summer, the French businessman next […]

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Beating the Family Holiday Blues

Friday, November 28, 2008

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway. ~ Mother Teresa Five ways to beat the family holiday blues: 1. Ask about what you want to know. What’s it like having a second husband? How did you survive the war? Why does Aunt Mabel dislike you so much? Who was your first love? Can […]

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Talent Development Resources

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Douglas Eby’s superlative network of Websites, Talent Development Resources is extensive (more than 600 pages) to the point of eye-bugging awe. And we’re in luck, because Eby’s interests include highly sensitive people (HSPs). “Talent Development Resources has grown out of my interests and research in creativity, personal development and positive psychology, and an appreciation of […]

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