Blog
When understanding is overrated
Years ago when I started seeing a shrink, I learned that there are ideal conditions by which a child develops in a healthy way, and when those conditions are thwarted, the child's development gets derailed. Those ideal conditions presuppose that a child grows up with...
The holy water and the demon
I have had such a strong response to the last post I wrote - thank you to everyone who has commented, emailed, messaged, or even spoken to me about it in person. Clearly narcissism is far more common than one might be inclined to think, and many people have been...
My mother, revisited
Six years ago this week my mother died, and left behind an extremely painful legacy. It’s always hard when someone leaves this world with unfinished business. Death is so final, and at least while the person is alive, there’s always that small chance that maybe, just...
Ding Dong! The Icesave Witch is Dead
I wrote this post for the Reykjavík Grapevine last Monday, after the Icesave verdict had been passed down but it didn't make it into print. An almost palpable ripple of relief passed through Icelandic society at precisely 10.30 am on Monday, January 28, when the EFTA...
This is what's happening with my new book
In the last while I've had a few people ask me what's going on with my new book - the novel for which I was requesting beta readers a while back. Well, the writing is done, the beta reading is done, the editing is done, I think we've nailed a cover for it [I'm so...
Everything is a mirror
Anyone interested in metaphysics or spiritual matters will know this: our outer circumstances mirror our inner circumstances. We attract or are drawn to people and situations that correspond with what we believe to be true, or somehow reflect what we are feeling. This...
Because it is possible to die and still be alive
Within be fed, without be rich no more: So shalt thou feed on death, that feeds on men, And death once dead, there's no more dying then. William Shakespeare, Sonnet 146 We are so conditioned to think of death as the surrender of the...
The power of surrender
Recently I was at a gathering where people were discussing Christmas, and the difficult feelings that are often associated with it. It seems like that time of year has the ability to highlight so many hurts in our lives, and it takes a lot of strength not to spiral...
The fundamental flaw of New Year's resolutions
Happy 2013 everyone! So the world did not come to an end [although apparently there is still a chance for the apocalypse], and now a whole year of possibilities stretches before us, blank as an unpainted canvas. It feels like a new beginning, even though the whole...
The next-best Christmas story*
A somewhat unexpected and unconventional Christmas story has captivated the minds and hearts of the Icelanders this year. Just over a week ago, a prisoner escaped from Litla-hraun, this country's only maximum-security prison [although the "maximum" part is rather open...
50 things I have learned in 50 years
It's my birthday and I am 50! That's kind of crazy. Like everyone I know, I had these preconceived ideas of what people were like when they were 50 - they were OLD. But! Here I am and I feel a lot younger than I felt when I was ... er, younger. Back then I felt heavy...
My secret for a happy Christmas
Christmas. Season of cheer and goodwill. The time when we are all supposed to love one another, to cherish one another, and to make each other feel special. That message comes at us from all directions - movies, TV commercials, adverts, songs. Happy families, loving...
