“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” –Mark Twain A few days ago, I celebrated my 63rd birthday. Sixty-three years old? Me? Did someone make a mistake? How did I get here? When my father was in his nineties, he’d say that although he might look old on the outside, he still felt like a young man of twenty-three on the inside. Now I understand what he meant. Despite my biological age ticking upward… Read full story on Substack -> Here ..read more

“How’s your writing going?” asked my friend Stephanie. “Good. Oh, so good,” the words felt wonderful to say…and feel. That doesn’t happen every day. Feeling satisfied about the the first draft of my new novel came after four days of insecurity. Is this idea any good? Am I fooling myself that I can write? Was the success of my memoir Junkyard Girl a fluke? What kept me in a perpetual state of writer’s block for many years was my inner critic nagging me that I was not perfect. When I learned that most writers grapple with self-doubt, I considered myself in good company ..read more

Today is My Anniversary Five years ago, I learned I was adopted at birth. Most people learn this at a very young age. I was 57. This DNA discovery triggered a wide range of emotions, from shock to disbelief, to grief and loss. As a consequence, I was filled me with an urgent need to unearth my origin story and the reason behind the secrecy. Eventually this led me to write my memoir, Junkyard Girl. The revelation also helped me uncover an inner dragon-like resilience I didn’t expect to find so late in life. February 10, 2024 marks the first day of the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese ..read more

For twenty years I worked as part of the editorial crew on movies like, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Three Men and a Little Lady and Christmas Vacation. Because acupuncture saved my health during my 12+++ hour long work days I decided to go back to school and get my master’s degree in Chinese Medicine. In my private practice, I not only had the fortune of helping others challenged with a wide variety of health issues, but the guiding principles of this medicine seeped into my bones and became a part of my philosophy of life. In particular, the idea of aligning myself with ..read more

A few years ago, I was walking with my dog, Roxy Fischer, when I had a powerful aha moment! The words Dog as My Doctor came to mind. When I got home, I lay down for a nap, an invitation which my two cats, Jester and Cody Fischer, used to pounce on my back. Cat as My Nurse, whispered my mind as my cats settled into their respective spots along my spine. These moments gave birth the title of my book about how our animal friends can powerfully benefit our health and wellness – Dog as My Doctor, Cat as My Nurse. That day with Roxy helped me realize how walking can create new ideas and generate sp ..read more

From the Office of Grace Fischer…. Because I did such a great job writing September’s My Pawsitive Lifestyle Blog, Mom entrusted me with this month’s post. But what to write? I didn’t want to let her down, so I pondered my assignment for days. Still, no ideas came to mind. Then, as I lay by the front door enjoying the toasty sun and licking my paws clean, I glimpsed a wondrous sight…my reflection in the glass. Like magic, the idea I had been waiting for came to me: G-R-A-C-E. Did you know Mom knew my name, Grace, several months before she adopted me? She even wrote it on her vision board with ..read more

After writing Dog as My Doctor, Cat as My Nurse and Paws for the Good Stuff, I was certain I’d explored every angle about how pets help us live healthier, happier, and more extraordinary lives. I was wrong. A couple of weeks ago, while at the dog park, my friend Shar told me about an interview she heard on Glennon Doyle’s podcast, We Can Do Hard Things. Author Ross Gay was being interviewed about his latest book, which focused on a word that until then, I had given little attention. Hearing her speak of delight brought a smile to my lips that only got bigger when Grace flopped on the ground b ..read more

How’s Your Social Life?  During Covid, my social life went kaput. Still, I consider myself lucky. I met many people while hiking in Santa Fe’s open trails during the shelter-in-place order, something that wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t adopted a dog, who after living in a hoarding situation, needed socialization even more than I did. For three years, Grace and I motivated each other to get up and move our bodies. Together, we kept our sanity intact. Nurturing close family ties is a secret of the Blue Zones – where the world’s healthiest and most long-lived people dwell. Since Grace is ..read more

Grace Fischer flaunts her Pawsitive Qi – Photo Courtesy of Stephanie Sendell Did you own a piggybank when you were a kid? I did. Mine was a beautiful white porcelain pig, adorned with delicate aqua-blue accents on its ears and tail. Although I would eagerly feed it with pennies, those coins never stayed put for long. With a single tug of the cork stopper in its belly and a shake, the coins spilled onto my mattress, ready to be spent on a scoop of cheap ice cream from the neighborhood drugstore. Our life force, known as Qi (chi) in Traditional Chinese Medicine, is similar to those pennies, cont ..read more

“Dogs are the magicians of the universe.” – Clarissa Pinkola Estés When you’re young and full of beans, and surrounded by others who are also brimming with life, you feel invincible. You don’t stop to think that one day, sooner than you’d expect, you’ll be attending more funerals than weddings. With so many of our friends falling ill and passing away over the last two years, Ken often reminds me that life is vapor. I was pondering this thought and feeling a heaviness around recent events when a friend of ours, who was going through his own life challenge after losing his home, said to me. “Wel ..read more