Francesca Flood, Ed.D.
Bio
Author of Learning to DANCE with Your Demons. Her narrative comes from a place of truth and a constant striving to be and do better. Writing is a passion, a privilege, and a means to transmit stories, impart knowledge, and share narratives.
Stories (17/0)
Winners
Monday The air at the station blows like a convection oven, passing over and under her dress. No amount of hair wax will tame the errant, bean sprout curls along her neck and forehead. Beads of nervous perspiration dot her body in anticipation of the forthcoming interview questions. Rachel Herrera wants, no, needs this job.
By Francesca Flood, Ed.D.3 years ago in Humans
Rearview Driving
Strange as it sounds, we often use rearview mirrors to see where we’re going in life. Auto manufacturers install them so we can glance at them from time to time to see what’s happening behind us. As humans we use rearview mirrors more frequently than we should. Not while we’re driving but as a navigational tool for our lives. We keep looking back as if we left something on that road behind us. Like we can throw our lives in reverse, speed backwards, and recover ground. In our rearview mirror, we can turn off where and when we should have, or worse yet, run over someone we later wish we never met or come to despise.
By Francesca Flood, Ed.D.3 years ago in Humans
Happy, Happier, Happiest
Happiness. One very powerful word. Just saying it evokes an emotion – though it might not be happy. In 2006, Will Smith (read: a great actor) starred in the movie, “The Pursuit of Happyness.” It is based on a true story about a homeless salesman – Chris Gardner, his 5-year old son and how through a series of bad circumstances still manages the pursuit. It’s worth a watch if you haven’t seen it. The point is we’re all in pursuit of happiness, though it is more evasive for some. The bigger point is that only we as individuals can make ourselves happy. Sometimes, while we’re pursuing – we lose sight that happiness isn’t a destination – it’s the path we pave.
By Francesca Flood, Ed.D.3 years ago in Motivation
My Gym Tribe
My Gym Tribe – Francesca Flood It’s one of the great mysteries I have yet to unravel. I go to the pool or gym about five times a week (er…plus or minus). Okay, before you start thinking I’m some saint, insane fitness nut, or someone you can’t relate to – hold on! At my age – I work out for a variety of reasons and a skimpy little black dress isn’t one of them. For someone who exercises fairly regularly, I ask myself, “Why won’t these pounds melt off?” Those unflattering 10 pounds that after midlife become embedded in your DNA and other unmentionable parts of the body. Ask anyone over 50 and they’ll tell you to write an obituary for your metabolism. Seriously. I can eat like a bird, do the fasting thing, or follow a diet that promises the last 10 pounds will disappear! Right. At 64, your body knows all your tricks. While I’m busy starving myself, my fats cells are conspiring with each other. “Don’t worry fellas, this too shall pass. Hang in there.” And they do. Like carrion birds with long talons, those fat cells stay put. So, why do I continue to work out? Well, it’s like an airplane’s weight and balance system. The performance of an airplane is influenced by its weight, and overloading it will cause serious problems. Get the picture? Aside from holding additional weight at bay, elevating my mood and overall health, there’s another reason I work out. Those total strangers at the gym are my tribe.
By Francesca Flood, Ed.D.3 years ago in Longevity
Big Magic, Curiosity
I belong to a women’s wellness book club where we read for self-improvement. The first benefit of being part of this group is community. It provides a social, intellectual, and emotional connection that all humans need and desire. Belonging means you are part of something and accepted. The average age of our group is 60. This sense of belonging becomes more vital as we age. And, even if you’re at the front end of your journey, we are not designed to be perpetually alone, or lonely. The dichotomy of being on social media with hundreds of friends is that it is creating greater and greater social isolationism with depression, anxiety, and suicide reaching epidemic levels. A screen can never replace a little human touch, a gesture of warmth, or a real smile.
By Francesca Flood, Ed.D.3 years ago in Humans