Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Courtesy

I have a job in sales which can be a pretty depressing gig if you are the type of person who takes things personally or isn’t at the very least a mild masochist.  Day in and day out my job requires me to pester the hell out of people to buy something that at least […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Mental Health

I have been lying to you all.  Lying is something I don’t like, that makes me uncomfortable and I don’t condone.  The lie I’ve been spreading to the audience of the Loafer hasn’t been an intentional one and it’s rooted in truth, like most good lies.  But as I’m writing this, it is World Mental […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Living With Intention

It often seems that the most profound, life-changing concepts to occur to me are the most simple to comprehend.  The kind of thing that should have been right in front of my face the whole time, I just failed to see it. Things like living in the present and that your thoughts create your emotions […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

The Value of Personal Appearance

Every week, like most other Americans, I drag myself to the grocery store for the needed essentials.  So this week as a way to save time, I didn’t give it a second thought to just hit Kroger immediately following my workout and retiring to home for the evening.  As I walked into the store toward […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

The Gift

Two weeks ago I was getting cleaned up to go on a first date.  I was going about my normal routine- shampoo, condition, soap, shave, scrub, rinse- when I stopped dead in my tracks because something seemed very strange.  As I brought myself into the present and took in my surroundings, it occurred to me […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

For the Love of Dogs

Last Friday I had to make the dreaded visit to the veterinarian with my first-born fur baby Mousey.  In addition to the general fact that he’s no spring chicken at 14 years old, the last few months of back and forth from Tri-Cities to Nashville has really worn him down.  While his appetite hasn’t changed, […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Trying to Parent the Parents

There comes a point in every person’s life where the role of child is drastically redefined and the relationship with our parents or caretakers takes a turn.  For some this change can happen so gradually it’s hardly noticed, while for others, there is a defining moment or event that makes everything different. But how do […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Simple Pleasures

I read somewhere once that people are basically just plants with more complex emotions and that all we need is food, water and sunlight to thrive.  That may only be partially true, but I do believe the things that afford us our best lives are simple, easy and mostly free. That’s right. Despite what Instagram […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Be careful- you get what you give

I am not what most would call a particularly spiritual or religious person.  I tend to stick to more practical explanations to life’s great wonders and believe only in things that are tangible and measurable.  I do not think I am right in this line of thinking, or that anyone who is religious is wrong, […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

The Dark Side of the New Normal

I have to get a little serious this week.   Every morning I get up and turn on the Today Show while I’m getting ready and making breakfast.  It’s mostly background noise, but certain things will pique my interest and I will tune in for a moment to catch up on what is happening in the […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

The Root of Insecurity

In my efforts to connect with more people during my time spent in Nashville, I reached out to an acquaintance from college who has lived here for several years and asked her for some recommendations that might be accommodating for a single 30-something new to the city.  The girl was gracious enough to not only […]

 

Tea Time with Appalachian Barbie

Mind Control

Following what has been probably the most hectic and exhaustive few weeks of my life, I was excited for my monthly meeting with Therapist last weekend.  I hadn’t spoken with him since I started my new job and with a couple of other personal matters exploding in my life, an unbiased and well-trained ear to […]