by Marlena Fiol | Apr 14, 2019
My father — front left. My mother — front right. The day after their wedding, at the Newton, KS train station, leaving for Paraguay in 1943 When I was a kid, my dad was my hero-doctor. He stitched up my chin three times after I fell again and again and…
by Marlena Fiol | Apr 8, 2019
I ended my last post with this question: Really, what’s the point of having relationships with people if I can’t have sticky, messy, real relationships that will help me grow toward greater wholeness, less loneliness and a longer life? But the question remains, is…
by Marlena Fiol | Apr 5, 2019
Even if (maybe especially if) it Scares Me My prior blog posts suggested that showing up vulnerably with others is necessary if I want to be truly known. I introduced research concluding that not being known makes me feel isolated. And feeling isolated makes me…
by Marlena Fiol | Apr 1, 2019
One of my last blog posts reviewed some of the things I’ve learned about the interconnectedness of loneliness and social media: Loneliness is a growing epidemic, seemingly fueled at least in part by social media use. Social media use is rampant and growing, seemingly…
by Marlena Fiol | Mar 20, 2019
The wounded feet of one of my father’s leprosy patients — circa 1950s In a prior blog, I wrote about the importance of touch in my intimate relationship. When my partner and I discovered “the skin thing” over 20 years ago, we thought we were onto something new….