Rachel Wilshusen's Blog

Valentine’s Day is over and it’s Feb 22, a date on the calendar when it’s easy to catch the WINTER BLAHS. The scents of pine and pumpkin spice are tucked away, the trees in town are naked, you’re burnt out on soup, and summertime feels like a distant dream. If you’re in Texas or somewhere else where blizzards are raging, it might seem all the more impossible to radiate sunshine vibes. No matter how serious your case of the blahs, today I’m posting a handful of ideas to help you infuse your so...

“Viewer digression advised” appeared at the start of a number of The Crown episodes this season.  I was apprehensive since the advisory stated an ED would be depicted and I wasn’t sure what to expect.  Fortunately, I’m in a healthy state these days and have made peace with my past, but watching ED scenes is always challenging.  Apart from eliciting strong emotions about my own experience, observing behaviors fills my heart with grief for the millions who struggle.  Unexpectedly, however, my init...

So we’re almost to February… how are those New Year’s Resolutions looking!?  Resolutions are funny things humans been making for some 4,000 years when the Babylonians (those cool cats that developed advanced math/geometry/astronomy) celebrated the dawn of their new year by promising to return stuff and pay their debts.

The closer I am to complete Recovery, the more I shy away from a January 1st laundry list of “MUST DOs” I will inevitability fail to achieve.  Why feel lousy because I didn’t p...

Southern California is in lockdown and it feels a bit like a holiday film where Christmas is almost cancelled (and then rescued in the nick of time!).  And yet, even in spite of Covid and an absence of parties and concerts, I cant stop loving the season.  Giant decorated trees, white sparkly lights, garlands decking the hallsI love it all, not to mention the cookies!  

This afternoon I was planning out my seasonal bakes when I caught myself reminiscing about past Christmases.  Because,...

Dating Ryan was a dream.  From our first sushi dinner to an open swim in San Diego’s Mission Bay, I was blown away by his humor, kindness, generosity, and relaxed vibe.  Most of all, after a history of “it’s complicated!” relationships, our hangouts were drama free and just so easy.  And yet, within weeks Ryan was indirectly highlighting a personality trait I hadn’t realized existed.  Sure, I was accustomed to my brothers firing off the command “Stop being defensive, Rach!” But pointed questions...

Success is a fascinating designation since, just like beauty, it’s completely subjective!  As mini humans on the playground we encounter this and hear that until (poof!) before we know it, we’ve created a set of qualifications to measure success.  As an American girl in the eighties/nineties, “success” meant straight A’s, flawless piano recital performances, and killing it on the Four Square court and soccer field.  Although I changed-up the parameters in high school and college to include stick...

“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” Charles Dickens

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Let’s talk turkey.  What does gratitude mean to you?  Is it a buzz word on pretty journals that comes up a lot in November?  Is it a memory of staring at funny looking cornucopias in a pilgrim’s hat while waiting for pie to arrive?  Or—

Is Gratitude a vital element in your life you nurture on the regular?

It’s a strange, yet super cool fe...

I sprinted through my twenties like a small animal on a plastic wheel.  Coworkers stepped aside when they heard my high heels flying down a hallway.  Friends affectionately asserted that I was their favorite manic squirrel and suggested I calm down and chill out.  Police officers—less affectionately—demanded I put on the brakes while handing over tickets, indifferent to my need for speed.  Yes, I was a mover and a shaker, making life happen and falling into bed exhausted at the end of each day. ...

As small children, hopefully spared from early trauma, we radiate our “true selves”—the very essence of us that resides in our souls.  Unbridled by insecurities and fear, we joyfully sing and dance, and view the world as a magical place just waiting for us to explore.  We race around playgrounds, pumping white Keds on black plastic swings until we can almost touch the clouds.  And, for most of us, launching ourselves towards heaven and trading Bugles for Twinkies at Kindergarten lunch tables, li...

I remember “grace” coming up from time to time in church and wondering who she was and what she looked like.  I couldn’t conceive of grace as a concept but I liked the smooth, polished sound of the word, and imagined Grace as a lovely bestie of Eve or Mary.  Grace is a sublime name for a woman, but it’s also a word with a myriad of interrelated definitions that transcend beyond the religious realm and into our everyday lives.  Of all its lovely meanings, this morning I’m considering grace in ter...