“Hey, Mom. You got a minute?” That’s how most of our conversations started. Maybe it was incredibly good timing all those years, but I never remember her saying she’d have to call me back. I always had the same mental image of her topping off her coffee and settling in at the kitchen table as she replied, “Of course I do, honey. I’m glad you called.” I can remember her words so precisely, but sadly I can no longer hear the sound of her voice saying them. I’m not sure when it happened, but my vivid memories have become a silent film and I’d give anything to hear her answer that phone one more time. Continue reading “A Mother’s Day Wish”
Boost Your Bright Side If You Notice People Avoiding You
We all know at least one Debbie or Donny Downer – the perpetual sad sack that makes our stomach flinch when we see them heading in our direction because we know two minutes into the conversation we’ll be looking for car to jump in front of. I wish I was exaggerating, but few situations in life drain me more than getting cornered by one of these folks.
Is life really that much worse for these doomsters? Has the universe conspired against them as they would have us believe? Continue reading “Boost Your Bright Side If You Notice People Avoiding You”
21 Days to a Better Body and Four Other Fitness Myths I’m Tackling Daily
“You give me the next three weeks, and I’ll give you the body you’ve always wanted,” promises the twig of a fitness instructor leading the upper body workout I’m streaming this morning. In sixty-one years, I’ve never had the body I’ve always wanted, so I have serious doubts anything this video Barbie is going to throw at me in the next 21 days will get me there. Continue reading “21 Days to a Better Body and Four Other Fitness Myths I’m Tackling Daily”
What’s in Your Pocket . . . a Poem by Chance?
Poetry intrigues me, yet it’s a literary genre I rarely seek. It seems the times in my life when I’ve most appreciated the art form have been when it has found me. That was the case one April day five years ago when I wandered into a local bookstore, sadly no longer in business, and stumbled upon Poem In Your Pocket Day for the first time.
A woman greeted me with a smile and a question. “Do you have a poem in your pocket?” Continue reading “What’s in Your Pocket . . . a Poem by Chance?”
Does Your Personality Predict Which TV Shows You’ll Like?
One of those silly Facebook quizzes popped up on my news feed last night claiming it could predict my favorite TV show based on my personality. I had never given much thought to why I liked the shows I did, but it didn’t seem too far-fetched that personality could play a role. It also might explain why Tim and I have found so few shows that appeal to both of us. Continue reading “Does Your Personality Predict Which TV Shows You’ll Like?”
Does Anyone Actually Eat Peeps?
For more than sixty years, Peeps have made an appearance every Spring on store shelves taking their rightful place among all the other Easter candy. While they’ve started creeping into the other major holidays, this is most definitely their season. The original 1950’s yellow chick Peeps are the perennial best seller, but the menagerie has grown considerably over the years Continue reading “Does Anyone Actually Eat Peeps?”
Life Is Short . . . Eat The Cake
And drink the wine, and the margaritas, and even the champagne! Especially the champagne! Last weekend I decided my newly adopted healthy lifestyle was going to have to stand down; it was after all my birthday. And I had the good fortune to be spending it with friends I’d known . . . well, forever. I wasn’t just hurdling past another annual milestone, I was doing it with some of the best friends a girl could ever have. And that’s a reason to celebrate! Continue reading “Life Is Short . . . Eat The Cake”
There’s No Shame in Saying No
We were having dinner with friends recently when the conversation got around to how much we had on our plates despite all of us being retired. A couple of us were excited to share the things we’ve been working on. For me launching this blog has been a lot of work, mostly because the twenty-somethings that write the descriptions for these blogging sites using terms like “easy set-up” and “intuitive formatting” did not grow up in an era when a significant technological advancement meant migrating from rotary dial to touch-tone phones. Continue reading “There’s No Shame in Saying No”
Most Dieters Focus on What They Hope to Lose…But the Real Surprise is in What Can Be Gained
For most of 2016 I ignored the pesky ten pounds I’d put on when I stopped my long-established routine of stepping onto the bathroom scale every morning. I can’t remember exactly why or when I abandoned the one weight-management habit that seemed to work; but I’m guessing the extra pounds were payback for the smug attitude I had developed when the same number flashed up at me every morning for years. Continue reading “Most Dieters Focus on What They Hope to Lose…But the Real Surprise is in What Can Be Gained”
And So, The Countdown to the Summer of 2017 Officially Begins . . .
I always have mixed emotions with the arrival of spring. Don’t get me wrong; I love the longer days, the warmer weather, and the explosion of color that’s replacing more of the gray shades of winter each day. But spring is petal-to-metal busy around here. The next eight weeks is when Tim and I transition our home from a winter sanctuary to the welcoming lake house so many friends and family help us enjoy each summer. Continue reading “And So, The Countdown to the Summer of 2017 Officially Begins . . .”