The Reflective Pen

Simple Wisdom – Because Life Can Be Complicated

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  • HOME
  • BLOG
  • ABOUT ME
  • DEKKER
  • Manifesto
  • BOOKS
  • HOME
  • BLOG
  • ABOUT ME
  • DEKKER
  • Manifesto
  • BOOKS
  • Dekker

    Dekker – A Service Dog with Answers

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    Dekker A service dog with all the answers

    Many people have asked me how Dekker ‘writes,’ sharing his wisdom every month in English. The only words that may seem legitimate from a dog are “Woof, woof”....Learning…

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Life Challenges

    Five Things to Know About Grief and Loss

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    dog with his chin on the floor feeling grief and loss and question the purpose of living. facing an obstacle with no solution.everyone is dying

    When you lose a spouse there are a series of expected feelings and experiences ahead. Grief, loneliness, pain, laughter, and joy are only five but worth taking a…

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Spiritual Growth

    How To Begin Again When You Fail

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    boys jumping with joy begin again,living a full life

    "Always we begin again.” These are grounding words of St Benedict. Words that speak a gentle truth when we find ourselves up against a brick wall of failure. 

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Life Challenges,  Spiritual Growth

    Five Ways to Stay Calm Without Losing Patience

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    exhausted woman with head in her hands losing patience

    Five ways to not lose your patience - 1. Slow down...2. Breathe...3. Make waiting a spiritual practice...4. Smile...5. go for a walk

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Life Challenges,  Spiritual Growth

    Learning to Sit Alone With Feelings

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    learning to sit - a chair by the edge of a lake

    Learning to sit is a common Buddhist practice but for this author, the road to sitting was marked by an illness accompanied by cognitive loss that did not…

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Dekker,  Spiritual Growth

    Dekker, The Service Dog, Shares His Wisdom

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    Dekker, a service dog, with the author Ardis Mayo

    Many people have asked me how Dekker ‘writes,’ sharing his wisdom every month in this blog. The only words that may seem legitimate from a dog are “Woof,…

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Life Challenges,  Spiritual Growth

    One Thing to Know if You Want to be Compassionate

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    man seeks compassion

    Until I learn to be comfortable with my fear and pain, I will not hear the fear and pain behind another's defensive statements or responses, let alone respond…

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Aging

    HAS YOUR “BEST IF USED BY” DATE PASSED?

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    strawberry with a 'best if used by' date

    Do you have a "Best if used by" date on your life? What if that date has passed and you find yourself still sitting on the shelf? Here…

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Creativity

    WRITER’S PROCRASTINATION AND WHAT TO DO

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    procrastination in writing helped by journaling

    If your ideas have never landed on a page, or maybe you have a half-finished manuscript hiding in a drawer somewhere, don’t despair. You are not alone.

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Dekker

    DEKKER’S WISDOM FOR PEOPLE WITH PROBLEMS

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    Dekker the service dog reads a book

    Dekker says that writing this column is hard work and sometimes he falls asleep while working. There is so much to read and understand about human behavior and…

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Life Challenges

    5 WAYS OF SELF-CARE TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE

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    stacking blocks one at a time

    Here are five ways to improve your life with daily steps of self-care that become habit when practiced with intention. By beginning with yourself as a priority and…

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Spiritual Growth

    WHAT IS GOOD ABOUT FEELING VULNERABLE?

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    man in tears

    Vulnerability helps us open the door to new connections. If only for a moment, we let our guard down and engage with people on another level.

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Spiritual Growth

    WHAT IS THE SPIRITUAL WORK OF GRATITUDE?

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    woman lifting arms in gratitude

    Why gratitude is a spiritual practice in which we include both memorable events and things that are painful.

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Dekker

    MORE ADVICE FROM DEKKER

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    Dekker

    Dekker is a British black lab whose gifts for giving advice emerged when he sat around every day with the restrictions of the pandemic. He was born to…

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    Ardis Mayo
  • Life Challenges

    WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BRAIN FOG

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    intruder

    Here is what you need to know about Brain Fog if you are concerned about cooudy thinking, memory loss or difficulty sleeping.

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    Ardis Mayo
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Recent posts

  • aging and illness, aging gracefullyThe Myth of Aging Gracefully
    Aging, Life Challenges
  • Dekker the Service Dog waits by a fog with mistDekker on Ice Fishing
    Dekker
  • Finding one clock out of many, chronus timeTwo Kinds of Time
    Life Challenges, Spiritual Growth
  • man facing sunset with suitcase in his hand. HOw to say goodbye. pilgrimageThe Pilgrimage of Aging
    Aging, Life Challenges
  • this Boston terrier knows how to procrastinate with syle with his chin on the arm of the sofaHave You Practiced Yet?
    Life Challenges

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