On a day meant to celebrate the heart, we're encouraged to purchase gifts as the key to true love. To embrace lovers, family, or to better love ourselves, the media insists we must buy just the right ticket to harmony. Culture gluts our media with advertisements for the best ways…
Our relocation to a new place stank. No, literally. Sour odors and musty smells haunted me from every corner of the house. I scrubbed until my eyes nearly swelled shut. After hiring someone to help clean, I found more layers of dirt lingering. The dust kept showing up. Baseboards, French doors,…
As we turn the calendar page to enter the Christmas season, many of us search for stories to help us embark upon the holidays in meaningful ways. Others may seek beautifully crafted tales set in beautiful settings into which we may escape and enjoy a delightful read. I've found a literary…
Got books? If you're an avid reader, your brain and heart will thank you. Studies indicate we bolster the emotions and mind almost any time we read. Certain books target our emotional and cognitive well-being, to pack on extra benefits. As if we needed another reason to crack open a book.…
Born Hungry for Stories Before she can speak, an infant's cry expresses her yearning. A loving voice swaddles the new soul. The words may come with music or the mere sound of turning pages, but they capture her heart and mind either way. The child quiets, listens, grows calm. As if…
The Importance of Emotional Health In this series, we've examined the keys to a balanced life. Certain aspects serve as a foundation to establish how well we function in every other part of our lives. Spiritual and physical wellness determine performance, fulfillment, and our effect upon others. Emotional health proves another…
Work. The word bludgeons many and elicits a groan. We could search for zen jobs, but even the best workplace cannot promise a Utopian experience. Neither a new employer nor entrepreneurship can offer us an escape from the sense of drudgery. Happiness depends on more than the type of work. While we should…
Three manuscripts, a publishing venture, and online posts await me in the office loft upstairs. Yeah, I should really get to my work. Used towels reach toward me from the rack, so I'll just throw those into the wash first. I pause at the foot of the steps and scan…