BouncebackCafe.com » decisions http://www.bouncebackcafe.com Dedicated to finding useful, resilient solutions to life's adversities. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:03:46 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Gaga Over the Lady? http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2011/gen/gaga-over-the-lady-3025 http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2011/gen/gaga-over-the-lady-3025#comments Thu, 01 Dec 2011 08:01:13 +0000 Ellie http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/?p=3025 Ever made a snap judgment about someone and then discovered (too late) that you could be waaay off base? The second we see somebody on the street or meet someone, we make snap judgments about them, about who they are and why we wouldn’t necessarily sit with them or why we would or what’s cool or not cool. — Max Cannon Last week I watched the TV special, A Very Gaga Thanksgiving. It was an entertaining, 90 minute program conceived, produced and directed by the Lady Gaga herself. And – knock me down and call me shorty – I find I’m gaga over the Lady G. Despite her off-putting personas and her contrived costumes, Lady Gaga’s not only an amazing performer, she’s an amazing ...Continue reading » Gaga Over the Lady?]]> http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2011/gen/gaga-over-the-lady-3025/feed 0 Tomorrow is Another Day http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2011/gen/tomorrow-is-another-day-2914 http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2011/gen/tomorrow-is-another-day-2914#comments Thu, 06 Oct 2011 07:01:25 +0000 PattiAnn http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/?p=2914 Last week, I wrote about the idea of making tiny changes. It seemed like a good idea at the time and still does, but before I got very far into the whole experiment I discovered one of MY big problems… I never leave well enough alone. I have two tendencies that get me into trouble – ramping up too quickly and visualizing ahead. Today, as I was walking the dog, we came back past the local church. As we headed for it, I wondered how well I would do as we climbed the hill. Usually, I set a good pace and then stop and catch my breath at the top of the hill. Well, we got to the top of the hill and I wasn’t out of breath. There was only one conclusion to draw ...Continue reading » Tomorrow is Another Day]]> http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2011/gen/tomorrow-is-another-day-2914/feed 0 Where the Hell’s the Door Out? http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2011/gen/where-the-hell%e2%80%99s-the-door-out-2795 http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2011/gen/where-the-hell%e2%80%99s-the-door-out-2795#comments Thu, 04 Aug 2011 07:01:53 +0000 Ellie http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/?p=2795 When God closes one door He always opens another even though sometimes it’s hell in the hallway. — My Help Desk Expert, Bobby C. Sigh… ain’t that the truth! Moving through the in-betweens – those transitional Neutral Zones between closing doors and opening doors can be hell… even when we occasionally manage to ...Continue reading » Where the Hell’s the Door Out?]]> http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2011/gen/where-the-hell%e2%80%99s-the-door-out-2795/feed 0 Protect Yourself http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/protect-yourself-1758 http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/protect-yourself-1758#comments Tue, 25 May 2010 07:01:32 +0000 PattiAnn http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/?p=1758 Worn OutDo you know what you believe and do your beliefs empower you? We may think we know what we believe but over time our beliefs change. We can be so busy that we don’t notice and unconscious beliefs can be the most helpful/hurtful beliefs that we hold. For me, I find that I can be a great cheerleader for other people, because I see the possibilities in other people more easily than I see them in myself. AND I believe that other people can achieve, while being not so sure about what I can achieve. Lately I’ve been suffering from writer’s block. For me writer’s block doesn’t mean that there’s nothing out there to write about. Rather, it means that there’s nothing that I want to write about. The problem is that after a while, I begin to believe that the writing drought is reality – forever. As a result, I ...Continue reading » Protect Yourself]]> http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/protect-yourself-1758/feed 1 Get Out of That Pit http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/get-out-of-that-pit-1590 http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/get-out-of-that-pit-1590#comments Tue, 30 Mar 2010 07:01:43 +0000 PattiAnn http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/?p=1590 Down in the holeLately, my friends have been facing some major challenges. One of my friends is struggling with a breakup – which she initiated. She’s now considering getting back together with the guy because she’s lonely – and her biological clock is ticking. Another friend has both of her grown sons living with her. The older one just lost his job – AGAIN(!!!) – and the younger hasn’t worked in many, many months. She’s heading towards retirement age but still has a house full of kids that she’s supporting. Both of these people are ...Continue reading » Get Out of That Pit]]> http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/get-out-of-that-pit-1590/feed 0 From Gratitude Comes Hope http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/from-gratitude-comes-hope-1377 http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/from-gratitude-comes-hope-1377#comments Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:01:03 +0000 PattiAnn http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/?p=1377 Adidas Dublin Marathon 2007Recently I received the following story in an email.  I don’t know who wrote it as it wasn’t attributed to anyone when I received it.  If you know who wrote it, please let us know.
I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels. My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, “This is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to
...Continue reading » From Gratitude Comes Hope]]> http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/from-gratitude-comes-hope-1377/feed 0 Digging Out http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/digging-out-1260 http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/digging-out-1260#comments Thu, 28 Jan 2010 08:01:42 +0000 PattiAnn http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/?p=1260 Housekeeping help - again, and again!Recently, a friend of this blog wrote on her blog that “A friend of mine and her partner contribute meaningful articles on their blog every day…and I do not mean comments like “well I guess I’ll sign off and start dusting!!!” Well, not to be disrespectful, today I’d like to focus on “dusting.” The reason for this is that despite the fact that housekeeping isn’t my #1 interest in life, I’ve spent a fair amount of the time that I’ve been working on clearing out my folks’ house trying to create spaces that are clean enough to “live-in” temporarily. I’m the kind of person who likes to see the change when I clean.  To some extent, I need ...Continue reading » Digging Out]]> http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/digging-out-1260/feed 0 Is It Adversity or Is It Life? http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2009/gen/is-it-adversity-or-is-it-life-1145 http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2009/gen/is-it-adversity-or-is-it-life-1145#comments Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:01:20 +0000 PattiAnn http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/?p=1145 Leo Stanely Mager: a timeless smileRemember that commercial – “Is it real or is it Memorex?”  They would usually have an opera singer hitting a really high note and breaking a glass and then play the recording of the singer and break another glass.  It was a way to show the true fidelity of the recording. I’ve been noticing how much we, as a society, have been talking about our troubles.  Have you noticed?  We talk about what bothers us more than we talk about what pleases us.  There’s been a lot of conversation about how bad things are economically and how the Baby Boomers won’t have the retirement that they expected.  It seems that we’re on a perpetual downer around here.  The conclusion that I’ve reached is that somehow, we’ve decided that problems aren’t part of life, which is why we get soooo bent out of shape when a problem turns up. I blame it on the Declaration of Independence.  ...Continue reading » Is It Adversity or Is It Life?]]> http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2009/gen/is-it-adversity-or-is-it-life-1145/feed 0 Choosing Life http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2009/gen/choosing-life-1073 http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2009/gen/choosing-life-1073#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:01:45 +0000 PattiAnn http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/?p=1073 Looking forward...A friend of mine is stuck.  She has broken up with her partner but because he is working an hour’s plane ride away, she is waiting for him to return and get his things.  Because two of those things are his cats, she feels that she can’t give notice on her apartment because no pets are allowed.  She wants the cats out of there so that if the landlord wants to come and meet with her, there won’t be a problem because of the cats.  Since she doesn’t know when he will come back, she can’t move forward and give notice. Added to the general pain of the breakup, she is very attached to the cats and she is really going to miss them.   She is in a lot of pain waiting for this to come to an end.  She can’t keep him just for the cats and she can’t move on.  She is truly stuck. Ellie has been forced into a situation that she didn’t choose and can’t change.  As we’ve watched Ellie move through her grief, one thing is abundantly clear ...Continue reading » Choosing Life]]> http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2009/gen/choosing-life-1073/feed 0 Busy, Busy Days on the Way to Letting Go http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2009/gen/busy-busy-days-on-the-way-to-letting-go-1036 http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2009/gen/busy-busy-days-on-the-way-to-letting-go-1036#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:01:23 +0000 Ellie http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/?p=1036 ArmFor the recent holiday weekend I proclaimed myself a four-day-weekend and set about doing a myriad of tasks that used to be either “he or we” projects, never mine alone… I was busy, busy, busy.  I was “letting go”.

Letting Go Ain’t for the Faint of Heart

Letting go takes a lot of work and determination.  It’s MUCH easier to just let things be.  But I knew that moving on, transitioning “from we to me”, required doing “what don’t come easy”… and I, not someone else, needed to do the choosing: keep or let go?

It Was a Close Call

There was a point when I despaired of ever making any decisions, I just couldn’t bear to let go of anything no matter what it was.  So how’d I power through?  ...Continue reading » Busy, Busy Days on the Way to Letting Go]]> http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2009/gen/busy-busy-days-on-the-way-to-letting-go-1036/feed 2