MODEL MOMENT

In 1978, all the boys I had crushes on had one of two posters in their lockers: Farrah Fawcett and Cheryl Tiegs. I was already a gawky middle schooler with braces, glasses, and greasy skin so these constant reminders of the ideal body did nothing for my self-esteem.

Imagine my surprise when I learned that THE Cheryl Tiegs was booked as a guest on the Q104 morning show in Cleveland the week I was filling in as co-host. Talk about intimidating! But, guess what? Tiegs is now 60-some, and she was about to see one of her sons graduate from high school. We talked about parenting, how to manage your hair in humidity, and what she thought of reality TV.

I was pleased to see she has allowed herself to age naturally, without any apparent plastic surgery or botox. You don't get many chances in life to re-do a 7th grade horror story, but this one turned out just fine!

ECUADOR: FROM PAGE TO PURPOSE

Reading can take you places you've never been before, or inspire you to go exploring for yourself. My trip to Ecuador began by reading about someone else's adventure. Rita Golden Gelman is the author of, Tales of a Female Nomad. She wrote about visiting the Galapagos Islands - a place I had never considered visiting before I sat down on a snowy December day and began reading.

With the help of two separate tour companies, Boundless Journeys (Galapagos Island tour) and Rustic Travel (volunteer vacations), I found myself on a plane to South America four months later. Here's a sampling of what I saw:

The obligatory "equator" picture (although researchers have now discovered the true equator line is several yards from here). I'm proud of this picture because of the two buses I took to get to this spot, despite not speaking any Spanish.

View from a tram ride in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. At the top, we reached 13,000 ft elevation. The view was amazing, but even more amazing was watching some rogue mountain bikers (with no helmets) ride their bikes down this mountain!
Each of the Galapagos Islands has completely different terrain and wildlife. One of the best hours I spent was with my daughter, here, watching sea lions surf. It was truly mesmerizing.
One of the islands we toured had so many iguanas, you had to work very hard not to step on them while walking. It felt like the Land Before Time.
We stayed with a host family while in Quito. Here's their daughter, Maria - a real life
Dora the Explorer!

Volunteering at an orphanage. These kids were adorable and so appreciative.

Dental care is so important for good health.
Here, the kids brush their teeth and spit on the ground.

Nap time.

G-MAN

In loving tribute to my father, Charles Richard St. John, who died April 18, 2010. This was first published in Chief of Police Magazine. To read the entire essay, click on the link below.


The first time I ever saw my dad cry, I was eight years old. It was Father’s Day. I had made sandwich boards out of construction paper tied with yarn and placed them over the backs of our two unwilling toy poodles, Muffy and Paddy. One sign read HAPPY FATHER’S DAY! The other announced PRESENTS ON THE COUCH! I opened the door to the bedroom where he was sleeping and shoved in the message mules with clear instructions to prance in front of him. Instead, they immediately scurried under the bed and ruined the whole grand parade. I don’t remember the present I gave my dad, but it made him cry. This fascinated and scared me at the same time. I had never seen my father cry before. I didn’t know he could. Whenever I cried, he would hold me, and I would breathe in his scent, a mixture of Aqua Velva aftershave and Brylcreme. His brown eyes would meet mine, and he’d stare into a miniature version of his own face. I felt safe. But he seemed too big for me to hug him like that, so I didn’t know what to do. Finally, I asked what was wrong. “You make me so happy,” he said.

I’ve seen my dad cry only four times since: when I was 16 and planned a surprise birthday party for him, when my mother died, when I got married, and the last time in the middle of dinner while he was telling a story about work. That time he cried the most. Each time this took me by surprise just like the first time. He seemed to be caught off guard too. It’s rare to catch an F.B.I agent with his guard down. Read more (Under Features/Essays).

Standing with my Dad just before getting to ride in the Good Year Blimp, a goal he had ever since childhood. I was so happy to help him achieve it at age 82!

SELF CARE REFORM

While much has been said regarding health care reform, I want to promote self care reform. Take the government out of this for a moment. What are you doing to gain or maintain your good health? This is much different than asking what will you do if or when you get sick.

We have solid research that supports that eating nutritionally sound food, exercising daily, sleeping 6-8 hours a night, managing stress, and maintaining healthy relationships will keep us healthy. Yet, few people follow this preventative prescription. What if doctors and mental health professionals were used more for maintaining health versus crisis management? I look forward to the day when I work in a health care system and not a sickness maintenance system.

As a counselor, I for one would like to do a lot more work in empowering people to gain and maintain health! Let's get proactive versus reactive. It costs less and you'll feel a whole lot better. Remember, if you're down - you're not out! Learn more about how to Bounce Forward.

HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT

I just learned of an interesting program being offered in Brecksville (OH) this week called, "Hidden in Plain Sight." If you're the parents of teens, it might be a very worthwhile evening! Here are the details:

This is an interactive workshop that walks a parent through a life-size replica of a teenager’s bedroom, discussing high risk indicators such as substance abuse, underage drinking, eating disorders, and many others.

When: March 23, 2010

Time: Come early (6:30 pm) and take a walk through the interactive sample bedroom

Parents: The parent program begins at 7:00 pm and lasts until 8:30 pm

Teens: A separate youth program will be offered for teens who attend with their parents

Where: Brecksville United Methodist Church

65 Public Square

Brecksville, OH 44141

WISE ADVICE

"Problems do not go away. They must be worked through or else they remain, forever a barrier to the growth and development of the spirit."

M. Scott Peck, psychiatrist and author of the best-selling "The Road Less Traveled."

PURPOSE OF DIFFICULT RELATIONSHIPS

In his book, "The Purpose Driven Life," author Rick Warren writes about the purpose of relationships: Isolation breeds deceitfulness; it is easy to fool ourselves into thinking we are mature if there is no one there to challenge us. Real maturity shows up in relationships.

How true! Often I hear from clients who have been hurt by others that they intend to heal their wounds by going into solitude. They don't want to be committed to anyone or anything so that they don't get hurt. Yet, relationships teach us about US. We can't learn such lessons by flying solo through life.

If you have a difficult person in your life right now and you feel like running, WAIT! Perhaps that person is in your life to teach you a valuable lesson about you. If you're not sure how to manage the relationship, I've developed a new resource for you. In my new e-seminar, Dealing with Difficult People: How to Protect Yourself From Professional Button Pushers, you'll learn how to set healthy boundaries, determine when to speak up (or not), and what to say. Living in isolation may be easier, but it's not the answer.