It's an all too familiar paradox that we can feel most alone when we're surrounded by others. While city life provides great opportunities for community, it is also incredibly isolating when it seems individuals abound, but no true friend can be found. When I'm lonely, I
It's been an early spring in much of the country. Landscapes are already in full bloom, flaunting their array of leaves, buds and blossoms. After any winter, no matter how mild, spring makes us a little more thankful for the beauty of nature. With Earth
Continued from the Series: "I's" of Prioritize The final consideration in prioritizing your time is integrity. Integrity could be defined as an unwillingness to compromise. Not a rigid inflexibility, but a refusal to compromise on important issues. Flexibility is essential when making priorities, because as discussed
Continued from the Series: "I's" of Prioritize In prioritizing your time, the first consideration is a task's immediacy. You may think, and rightly so, that if you only do what's necessary right now, your actions will always be completely reactionary. Plus, "failing to plan is planning
Continued from the Series: "I's" of Prioritize
There is never enough time in the day. No matter how well the day is planned, some things won't get checked off the list before your eyelids grow heavy and it's lights out. Time is life's most precious commodity. Figuring out how to spend it
"See the world before you settle down." ~Common Wisdom I recently attended the stateside wedding reception of an incredible, adventurous couple. Their slideshow could have been torn straight from the pages of National Geographic. Pre-engagement, they had quit their respective jobs to wander the globe together
During the Christmas season, we're encouraged to be generous, to think of those less fortunate. Soup kitchens have to turn away volunteers for serving holiday meals and charity is at the forefront of the common rhetoric. Once we shift our thoughts toward the new year,
I lied to my mother. Yes, the woman to whom I owe my life. And it wasn't a white lie, a "harmless" lie. No, this lie was more like a platinum lie. It was to her benefit. Not to spare her feelings or anything, but
During the holiday season, it's a challenge to keep things simple and focus on what's important; to resist the commercial propaganda surrounding you, while still being generous and giving to those you love. This year, tradition, or guilt, or (hopefully!) a generous spirit will compel many
Before 9:00 a.m., I've made coffee, showered, watered my modest herb garden, and brushed my teeth. Throughout the day, I will continue to use and drink water without a second thought. Not everyone lives with this luxury. Countless communities around the world scrape by with very limited
"I used to have this appetite for food, for life! And it's just gone." Thus, the heroine of Eat, Pray, Love (Gilbert, 2007) takes off on a solo journey to Italy, India and Indonesia. She sets out to recover this appetite, to find her "balance,"
I grew up in Iowa
Daylight hours are dwindling. The sun is setting and tiredness sets in before I've even considered what to have for dinner. My carbohydrate cravings are twice as intense as usual. It must be autumn. En route from the office back home, twilight skies trick me into
