Articles written by Erin Cole

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About me - Erin Cole

I am a writer living in Portland Oregon with my husband and three young children. I have volunteered for the Alzheimer's Association as a helpline counselor and education coordinator, taught computer classes at OCCC, worked in database international

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Sciences > Psychology Coping with criticism: 2 of 32

Having our character criticized is a challenge and obstacle for many, especially writers. Each day invites a myriad of opportunities for our work and behavior to be criticized by someone else, which can be a source of great anxiety. Wanting people to like us is an innate survival trait and hearing someone speak negatively of...
Religion & Spirituality > Self-Help (Other) Can you stay calm in times of chaos?: 2 of 12

Remaining calm in the rivers of chaos is not just a virtue; it is a request from the higher self. When things go wrong, a natural response may be to panic, get upset, or engage in destructive reactions. Emotions have a profound impact on judgment and can easily cloud thinking, resulting in unfavorable consequences. Stepping ...
Relationships & Family > Marriage & Intimacy Dealing with your or your spouse's sexual past: 6 of 30

Like fingerprints, everyone's sexual past is unique and defines their sexual identity. How couples perceive and engage in sex is the result of personal experience and ultimately shapes their intimate framework. However, these topics can be upsetting and/or embarrassing, so here are a few things to consider before divulging p...
Health & Fitness > Alzheimer's and Dementia The stages of Alzheimers disease: 1 of 5

OVERVIEW Alzheimer's disease is one of the largest growing neurological disorders of our time, making it imperative that we identify the pathology and discover a cure for family and caregivers who must cope with the difficult challenges due to the degeneration of memories, intellect, and the self of their loved ones. Alzheim...
Creative Writing > Memoirs Memoirs: How my garden helped me learn about love or survive its loss: 11 of 31

Flowers For Him A thick layer of sodden leaves and dirt pile beneath the bare, red trunks of dogwoods and moss covered maples in my backyard. Damp air still embraces the chill of winter and the only life hearty enough to brave the cold are the crows, swathed in feathers as black as the dress I wore to his funeral. ...
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Sacrifice: 9 of 23

Unspoken Bonds As the plane dipped beneath the layers of lucent haze, my heart sank with it. The thought of returning home left me anxious and depressed since bitter words had escaped between my father, Hank, and me just before I left for service. During my four-year deployment in Afghanistan and Iraq, he never wrote to me o...
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: The other woman: 54 of 124

She smelled it first, the faint crisp scent of lavender—a scent she hadn't worn in years. In the back seat, she spots black fabric and picks it up. A jacket. Women’s. Small. Lavender. Betrayal came at her, like an omen with brown diaphanous wings and a sharp cry that bled the silence of innocenc...
Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: Love of writing: 19 of 43

Trailing random thoughts, the bloodhound circles, incoherent words the unlucky prey. Habituated pessimism only feeds the frenzy, but solitude with a pen staves off the heavy gaze. Paper blank, mind racing, scribble worthiness or tempt incisors of calamity like ill-fated bait. Ideas spark; pray for fluidity, the worse of ment...
Parenting & Pregnancy > Baby Developmental Stages Are we really aware of our own children's emotional needs?: 2 of 4

Most of today's parents have full schedules beginning in the morning and ending somewhere close to or past children's bedtime. That amount of juggling is a definite distraction to the emotional needs of children. It is every parent's goal to take care of their children physically, mentally, and emotionally, but I think it is...
Religion & Spirituality > Setting Life Goals The science of success: 1 of 1

If success is a science, there are two main ingredients: belief and persistence. What it means to be successful differs greatly from person to person, but those who've achieved it, believed they could accomplish their goal and didn't stop trying until they did. Some individuals may happen across luck, but true success is a p...