Better Understanding Relationships, Empathic Perspectives, Traveling and Nature Photos
Zion National Park in Southern Utah
By Rachel Puryear Zion National Park doesn’t just look incredible – it feels magnificent. Towering sandstone walls, deep red and rust tones, and that constant sense of scale (even when you’re standing on a short trail) make it one of those places where you keep stopping to look back, just to make sure it’s real.…
Valley of Fire State Park in Southern Nevada
By Rachel Puryear From the moment you start driving into this park, the landscape looks carved – bright, layered rock glowing in the sun, rock formations that seem to shift as the light changes, and wide-open desert quiet that makes your brain slow down. Our visit here immediately reminded us why people fall in love…
A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation
By Rachel Puryear Note: This beginner’s guide can apply to any person, but is particularly directed towards those who identify as empaths, HSP’s, and spiritually curious souls. Do you feel things deeply, are you easily moved, and are you also easily drained by most others? Meditation isn’t about shutting down your high empathy – it’s…
Whale Watching on the San Francisco Bay
By Rachel Puryear We hopped aboard The Kitty with San Francisco Whale Tours for an afternoon outing and came away with one of those rare, small-moment adventures that make exploring the outdoors feel so full of wonder. The crew – warm, informative, and clearly experienced – put everyone at ease; the boat is a comfortable…
Weaponized Incompetence: When “I Can’t Do It” Is a Tactic, Not a Truth
By Rachel Puryear “If you have to dry the dishes, (such an awful boring chore), if you have to dry the dishes, (‘stead of going to the store), if you have to dry the dishes, and you drop one on the floor, maybe they won’t let you dry the dishes anymore.” Shel Silverstein, A Light…
Windy Hill Preserve in Portola Valley, California
By Rachel Puryear Tucked into the hills of Portola Valley is a quiet Bay Area gem – Windy Hill Preserve. This preserve offers rolling grasslands, oak-studded ridge lines, and spectacular views across the Peninsula to the San Francisco Bay and the Santa Cruz mountains. It’s an easy half-day escape for walkers, trail runners, families, and…
Quiet Coercion: How to Spot and Stop Emotional Blackmail
By Rachel Puryear Emotional blackmail is a quiet, often-subtle, and damaging form of control that can easily look like love, concern, or reason. However, it’s actually a tactic to get you to comply with the emotional blackmailer’s wishes. It’s insidious, but can cut pretty deep. It’s a sneaky form of emotional abuse and manipulation. Emotional…
Dating as a High Sensation Seeking HSP: How to Enjoy Great Times, Without the Burnout
By Rachel Puryear You love the new. The idea of a spontaneous road trip, a social club with folks who share interests you’re passionate about, or even a neon-lit rooftop party makes your pulse quicken in the best way – that is, until the noise, the crowds, or the emotional intensity overwhelm and overstimulate you,…
Limerence: When Attraction Becomes an Obsession You Wish You Could Kick
By Rachel Puryear Have you ever felt head over heels for someone else, and wondered if that attraction was really good for you? Especially if it was unreciprocated? Have you ever had feelings for someone, and wished you could just turn them off – and even felt emotionally trapped because of this? If your answer…
Waimea Canyon in Kauai, Hawaii
By Rachel Puryear The Hawaiian island of Kauai is a bit less known than some of its neighbors, but it also has plenty of awe-inspiring beauty to showcase. It’s a little sleepier, too, which can offer a bit quieter island-exploring experience. Here are some highlights of beautiful Kauai: Waimea Canyon Nicknamed the “Grand Canyon of…
Signs You’re an Old Soul
By Rachel Puryear In a fast-paced world filled with fleeting moments and soundbites, some individuals possess a timeless essence that sets them apart. Such folks might feel out of sync with their peers who are chasing the latest trends; instead preferring to reflect deeply on life’s mysteries, valuing deep conversations with friends over small chat,…
Exploring Honolulu, Hawaii
By Rachel Puryear Honolulu is Hawaii’s largest city, and its capital, and it’s on the coast of the island of Oahu. It’s also the world’s most remote major city of its size, located thousands of miles from the nearest other large cities. Its isolation shapes the local culture and economy. There’s plenty to see and…
The Volcanoes of Hawaii, Part 2: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
By Rachel Puryear The beautiful Hawaiian islands are known for their warm tropical weather, beaches, abundant rainforests, and laid-back culture – but did you know that these islands are also home to some pretty magnificent volcanoes, too? Hawaii’s two national parks both showcase these volcanoes fantastically, and this post will cover Hawaii Volcanoes National Park,…
The Volcanoes of Hawaii, Part 1: Haleakala National Park
By Rachel Puryear The beautiful Hawaiian islands are known for their warm tropical weather, beaches, abundant rainforests, and laid-back culture – but did you know that these islands are also home to some pretty magnificent volcanoes, too? Hawaii’s two national parks both showcase these volcanoes fantastically, and this post will cover Haleakala National Park, on…
Introverts, HSP’s, and Food
By Rachel Puryear No matter who we are, we all need to eat. And even beyond the obvious physical need for nourishment, food is one of humanity’s great pleasures in life, as well as an incredible (an often under appreciated) means of social bonding and connection. No doubt about it, the way people eat has…
Water Dog Lake Park in Belmont, California
By Rachel Puryear Okay, initially, I checked out this park in part because of its name – I imagined dogs of all kinds swimming around in the lake, and just enjoying themselves. The day I went actually didn’t have very many people or dogs there, but it’s a peaceful and pretty local park nonetheless. Also,…
The Mysterious Third Person Phenomenon
By Rachel Puryear Have you ever been in a very dangerous, even life threatening situation? Chances are, you either have, or someone else you love has. Maybe an accident or natural disaster, violence or a serious threat of such, being lost or stranded in a place where survival is unlikely, and so forth. Sometimes, people…
The San Francisco Bay Trail
By Rachel Puryear The San Francisco Bay Area is known for its natural beauty, diversity, innovation, opportunity, progressive ideals, and so much more. The San Francisco Bay Trail is a large network of trails all over the Bay Area, which allows enjoyment of all there is here to offer, and with beautiful views. The Bay…
Q&A: Signs You’re Being Catfished
By Rachel Puryear Have you ever met someone who seemed incredibly wonderful – but had a nagging feeling that they were perhaps too good to be true? And then maybe found out that they in fact weren’t who you initially thought they were? Unfortunately, that’s something just about all of us will experience in this…
Have You Ever Experienced a Disappearing Place?
By Rachel Puryear For most of us, the idea of stumbling upon a mysterious place, only to find it’s not there anymore later; sounds like the realm of fiction – or even an overactive imagination. However, a number of people claim to have experienced exactly that, and have shared their stories to willing listeners on…
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