Get Real with Lisa

Today I am encouraging us all to go back to sending cards or notes to those we care about. I went to the store to buy some sympathy cards and was quickly reminded that the sentiments in them are really dumb. I am not sure who is making them, but I am a fan of buying blank cards and writing my own sentiment in them. The point of sending a card is it shows you care enough to make the effort. Because...

Hey all. I am getting back on this horse and getting real with you today about life. We all have struggles and sometimes, those struggles aren't really THAT bad. But other times, they are the silent, drop to the floor and bawl your eyes out struggles. Those times can really define who we are and also define who is there for us. Let's face it, most of us have had relatively easy lives. But...

Everyone is always telling us to "be intentional" but what does that really mean? I tend to kinda hang out and expect fun things to happen. Then, when they don't, I am disappointed. But here's the thing. When nothing fun happens, I have not been intentional with my time, my schedule or my connection with others. If we have no intentionality about our time, pretty soon we realize...

Today I am encouraging you to join me in my goal of living a life filled with memories, people, experiences, and love... instead of tons of material things. As we get older, those "things" have less and less meaning and we gain perspective on what is important. The process of going through decades of collected stuff at my dad's home has set me on a new mission - to live a life less f...

We're on a roll here talking about all the STUFF we have. A lot of us have storage units with stuff in them we don't even remember. More of us have stuff stuffed into nooks and crannies in our houses - closets, basements, attics. And what about that garage we can't park in? When it comes down to it, we just have too much stuff! If we start to think more critically about what we have an...

As you know, I am on a mission to downsize all the stuff accumulated by me and also by my parents. There is something to be said for paying homage to the past. After all, it is what shaped us and brought us to where we are today! But keeping everything isn't possible and tossing everything without any emotion might make you a psycho. So maybe there is a place in between the two that will give...

We have all heard about the scarcity mindset, but why does it come about? Many times, it has to do with our upbringing and what we learned as young people. But regardless of why, it creates in us a fear of not having enough. Last week, I was without power at my house and it made me feel a bit of scarcity for myself. It gave me some insight into why folks who have "way too much stuff" hav...

I was in my now-almost-famous $30 a month storage unit last weekend and I realized something. Going through my stuff was a LOT harder than going through 55 years' worth of stuff at my dad's house. His house wasn't full of my stuff and a lot of it was garbage or donatable. But I noticed that this was not the case with my own stuff. My stuff reminds me of my past. It reminds me of my lit...

Many of you who know me well know that I am a big fan of boundaries with social media. I have permissions set on my accounts because I am not obligated to allow anyone full access to my online life. There are a lot of ways to manage access, and I encourage you to think about setting some for yourself. The truth is, none of us are going to get to the end of our lives and wish we had just spent a li...

I have been reading a book called, "The Minimalist Home" by Joshua Becker. It got me thinking about my own journey with decluttering my dad's house and how I struggle with having a lot of "stuff" because I don't function well in a mess or surrounded by a lot of clutter. I have always been drawn to a lifestyle with less stuff, but I wouldn't call myself a minimalist....

Don't let a big mistake, a failed job, a failed relationship define who you are. Those things are outside of you and they are just lessons. Some of them are really big lessons and some are smaller but still meaningful. I was reminded of my biggest mistake the other day and it caught me off guard. Then I was reminded that I just need to forgive myself for that mistake because it does not define me....

As I sit in my dad's house, all the stuff of the previous generations surrounds me. The beautiful, gold-edged china, the leaded crystal, and the thousands of other things that make up the history of my family. But without the memories and stories attached to these things, they are just "stuff". I am a bit fired up today about my advice to use the good sh*t. Why do we keep the good st...

Merry Christmas to you, my wonderful listeners! I wanted to hop on here today and talk about outdoor illumination. How I LOVE Christmas lights! They make me smile while reminding me to slow down and enjoy the little things. I hope you have a blessed holiday season and are able to smile at the memories as well as make new ones!

Ever been around someone who gives you a bad feeling? You're not sure why, but something just feels off. I am here to tell you today to listen to that voice. Don't ignore it. That intuition (or creep vibe) is there for a reason and could serve in keeping you safer than you would be if you ignore it. When my kids were young, I told them if they ever had a bad feeling about someone, they cou...

Let me reiterate that I am NOT an attorney. Nor am I a legal expert. But I recently had a conversation with a family member about what happens to your assets when you die without a will. Many people think, as I used to, that your assets pass to the state where you live. That isn't really the case unless a person has assets and no heirs can be found. It is rare, however, that someone dies with...

I was listening to a podcast (linked below) on decluttering the other day. There was a gal saying, "Take a hard look at things you're holding on to and ask yourself why." It made me think of all the stuff in the houses of my dad and my stepmom that has been left for me to deal with. In my dad's case, he was a collector. So, his house is full of really "good collectible stuff...

I have talked with you about the progressive decline of my dad over the past few years and now I get to add one more to the list. My stepmom has now been diagnosed with dementia. Guess who her power of attorney is... me! Being a power of attorney is a tough job in many ways. You often deal with people who are angry with you and blame you for losing their independence and the freedoms they have com...

I'm back! Since my last recording, there has been a whole lot of change in my life. My dad is still in memory care, and I am visiting him almost every day. I recently moved into his house and have begun the process of cleaning out 54 years' worth of STUFF! It has been a lot, my friends. But what I have realized in this process is how little all the stuff my dad collected over the years mea...

I recently listened to Mel Robbin's book, "Let Them". I will admit, I was a bit skeptical at first and I will also admit I am a touch jealous of Mel and how well she has done her podcast and how successful she has been. A little jealousy can be good, and in this case, is incentive to be better and work harder. So, I listened to the book. What I got out of it was something that I have...

Happy New Year, everyone! We are at the end of another year and as I reflect on this, I realize that some of the most fun times I have had were unplanned and unexpected. And some of the hardest times in life are also unexpected. In this coming year, I hope you are able to soak in the moments, good and bad, and really feel life. I hope you are able to connect with others, be there for them and with...

We have all kinds of relationships in this life. Some are definitely more meaningful and deep than others. Someone recently asked me about a friend of mine and my response was, "We are friends". She sort of made light about the topic and I joked along. But later that day, I got to thinking. Friendship is the deepest relationship we can really have with one another. If someone is truly your friend,...

Today I am talking about the two very different experiences I have had with my parents and the end of life. Many years ago, my mom had cancer. Her struggle was painful and hard to watch. It was, to say the least, a stressful time. I had three kids under the age of five. And the added stress was that our relationship was not always a close one. I was grateful for her death, when it came, because sh...

Today I am talking to you about aging parents and how spending time with my dad has brought us closer than ever before. It's really hard to see a loved one change and lose their memory. Wrapping your mind around that person being "gone" but still here is eye opening and sad and sometimes just plain depressing. My dad has always been my biggest fan but the thing I have noticed in his dementia is th...

Do you find yourself wondering why someone doesn't seem to care about something you are going through? It is so easy to get wrapped up in our own stories and our own lives that we assume everyone is being insensitive when they don't reach out. In reality, everyone is just living their own story. They are not ignoring you because they don't care. They are just wrapped up in their own stuff. So... t...

There are many times in life when we know the answer to the question, but we just keep plugging along and ignore our gut and intuition. I am at a crossroads in my life with family situations and I know which road to take. I know what the right thing is for me, but I have let so many things get in the way of making that decision and moving forward. Some of the things I have let stand in the way are...