Conflict – Melissa Schlies

My Fall Bucket List & How Fall Helped Me Find Contentment

For as long as I can remember, fall has been my favorite season. It has the perfect weather to wear a sweater, but not need a jacket. To drink a hot, fall flavored latte without overheating. And to turn on the oven, and bake a pie. But ten years ago, Tony and I entered into a difficult life season, and fall became even more dear to me. Fall has the perfect weather to wear a sweater, but not need a jacket. To drink a hot, fall flavored latte without overheating. And to turn on the oven, and bake a pie. [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-10-13T23:20:23+00:00October 14th, 2021|Categories: Anxiety, Change, Conflict, Contentment, Creativity, Depression, grief, Habit Making, Health, perseverance, Self Care|Comments Off

When You Feel Behind & It’s Already Fall

In January, when we were all praying this year would be better, I committed to practicing yoga at least three times a week. I needed a physical way to release all the stress my body was carrying—but also, I was out of shape. And rather than begin with an intense exercise regimen that may be hard to maintain, I decided to slowly build back the strength I had lost in 2020. Soon, yoga became a morning routine I looked forward to. It helped me start my days with purpose. Emotionally, I was calmer. And the more I practiced, the stronger [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-09-16T10:22:58+00:00September 20th, 2021|Categories: Acceptance, Anxiety, Balance, Change, comparison, Conflict, Failure, Habit Making, Routines, Uncategorized|Comments Off

When the Rules Are Still Unknown

Last week, I shared that this season I am making sourdough bread. What I didn’t tell you though is on my first try at making my starter, I failed. I’m pretty sure I killed all the yeast I’d brought to life. What I didn’t tell you though is on my first try...I failed. After making bread so many times, and reading up on the sourdough process from two different cookbooks, I went into this endeavor rather confident. Only when I finally made my starter, I didn’t read far enough to realize how important it is that your water is warm—but [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-02-26T20:11:17+00:00March 1st, 2021|Categories: Anxiety, Conflict, Fear, Health|Comments Off

No One Prepared Us for Married Life in a Pandemic

"You don't marry someone you can live with, you marry the person you cannot live without.” — P.S. I Love You For longer than any of us have been alive, there have been movies about love. For centuries before that, there were plays. Acted out stories that have made us think and even dream about romance. Ones that have shaped the way we view relationships and marriage. Only, None of them prepared us for marriage in a pandemic. For almost eleven months, Tony and I have been working from home together. Not only that, but we’ve moved into our first [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-02-06T21:19:35+00:00February 8th, 2021|Categories: Adulting, Change, Conflict, Health, Hope, Marriage, perseverance, Relationships, Social Distancing|2 Comments

Practicing Gratitude In The Midst Of What Can’t Be

There are times in life when we get to be deliriously happy. As a kid, for me, this looked like our Grampa spontaneously taking us out for ice cream. Waking up to our mom baking blueberry muffins. And running down the beach with our cousins. For some reason, it doesn’t take much to experience complete joy as a kid. It doesn’t take much to experience complete joy as a kid. Though as adults, we too, have our own spectacular moments. For me, this happiness has looked like riding a train through the country side of India. The night Tony told [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-11-20T20:02:40+00:00November 23rd, 2020|Categories: Acceptance, Balance, Conflict, Faith, gratitude, grief, Holidays, Hope, Social Distancing|Comments Off

Five More Ways to Stay Sane During Election Season

Have I ever told you, fall is my favorite season? The beautiful colors the leaves on the trees turn mesmerizes me. The weather is finally cool enough to bake, which is convenient because I love almost anything baked with locally grown apples or pumpkin. And there is just something in the air that makes me want to walk downtown to the farmers market, or find a hiking trail nearby. Fall is fantastic. Only fall is also when, every four years, our country faces its most crucial election season. Yards are marked with candidate signs. Social Media is more politically charged [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-10-14T23:42:06+00:00October 15th, 2020|Categories: Anxiety, Balance, Conflict, Fear, Habit Making, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Making Decisions, Relationships, Self Care|Comments Off

Hope, For When Life Feels Like It’s Falling Apart

In Northern Ireland there sits a cylindrical building on the side of a cliff, overlooking the ocean. It’s known as Mussenden Temple and once was the library of a great lord. With windows all around it, inside there are magnificent views of the sea from almost every angle. And when we decided to explore the North on our second trip to Ireland, Tony and I put it on our “must-see” list. Only, when we went to visit, it wasn’t the Temple that stuck out to us. That morning, it was the usual damp, foggy weather we’d grown accustomed to in [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-09-13T14:24:58+00:00September 14th, 2020|Categories: Change, Character, Conflict, Courage, Hope, Travel, Uncategorized|Comments Off

On Finding Balance the Midst of Change

When I was a kid, the place I most wanted to be in the summer was the beach. As we were fortunate to live close to one, it was where my mom took me and my sisters almost daily. After all, there are endless activities to entertain four girls at the beach. There are sandcastles to build, sea shells to find, and waves to chase. Only, that last one didn’t always go as we planned. I remember my sisters and I running into the ice cold, foaming salt water just far enough so we could ride the waves into shore. [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-07-15T23:46:26+00:00July 16th, 2020|Categories: Balance, Change, Character, Conflict, Failure, Lead, Leadership, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, perseverance|Comments Off

What Helped Me Get Unstuck

To best appreciate this post, read this first. The hot July sun tried to pierce through the trees, as we made our way down the trail, only the tree cover was thick enough to keep us cool. My sister and brother-in-law were visiting us from Massachusetts, and we were showing them one of our favorite places, Ricketts Glen State Park. At this point, we had hiked the trails that pass by the majority of the waterfalls in the park, but we wanted to make a stop at Adams Falls as well. We walked down the path to the bottom, where [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-07-06T14:50:18+00:00July 9th, 2020|Categories: Change, Conflict, Courage, Faith, Fear, Freedom, Hope, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Making Decisions, Preparation|Comments Off

Change Isn’t Pretty: Why We Don’t (Always) Have to Despair When We Watch The News

More times than I can count, someone close to me has said the following: “Melissa, you hate change.” In some situations, it’s been said like an accusation that stung. In others, there was a tone of compassion. And always, it was in response to me lamenting about a situation in my life I had no control over. A situation in my life that meant: Change was happening whether I liked it or not. Over the past month or so, there have been anti-racism marches in countless cities and towns across the US. And though they mostly consisted of peaceful protesters, [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-06-28T11:43:02+00:00June 29th, 2020|Categories: Change, Conflict, Courage, Depression, Fear, Hope, Racism|Comments Off

My Fall Bucket List & How Fall Helped Me Find Contentment

When You Feel Behind & It’s Already Fall

When the Rules Are Still Unknown

Five More Ways to Stay Sane During Election Season

Hope, For When Life Feels Like It’s Falling Apart

On Finding Balance the Midst of Change

What Helped Me Get Unstuck

Change Isn’t Pretty: Why We Don’t (Always) Have to Despair When We Watch The News

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