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The gift of quiet time
“There’s no such thing in anyone’s life as an unimportant day.” ~Alexander Woollcott The month of December includes several family birthdays and holiday events, so most days on our calendar are typically marked with things to do. But our dog Coco was hit by a car before Thanksgiving, so this season has been different. To ensure Coco’s recovery, we’ve had to cancel a few plans, stick close to home, and keep our outings short. It might seem anti-social (or boring) to some, but I love seeing blank spaces on my calendar. It’s not that I don’t look forward to gathering with family and friends. But I have to admit that…
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Some thoughts on holiday charity
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” ~William James Rushing into the grocery yesterday evening, I passed a bearded young man ringing a bell next to a red Salvation Army kettle. I was in a hurry to grab something I needed to make dinner, so I shouted my usual refrain, “I’ll donate on my way out!” I’m ashamed to admit that I don’t always make good on that promise — but this time I slowed down long enough to stuff a generous donation in the kettle on my way back to the parking lot. Earlier that day, Doug made our annual holiday donations to charities and…
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The company we keep
“Tell me with whom you associate and I will tell you who you are.” ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe When I was a kid, my parents discussed the importance of choosing friends who were a positive influence — the sort who stayed out of trouble and earned good grades in school. My folks understood that our peers help shape who we become — nearly as much as our parents do. My mom often repeated the old adage, “You are judged by the company you keep.” In other words, if your friends are serial trouble-makers, you might look like a willing accomplice. Much later, when I became a mother, I made a…
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Does our stuff make us happy?
“Very little is needed to make a happy life.” ~Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius was a Roman ruler and stoic philosopher who didn’t believe that owning lots of bright and shiny things led to satisfaction or contentment. Easy for him to say, right? While his ancient wisdom looks good in print, it’s not as easy to practice when you’re wandering the aisles of any department store during the winter holidays. Christmas in our country is tightly tied to buying stuff. Lots of stuff. After all, national economic success depends heavily on our holiday spending. Watch any Christmas commercial on TV, and you’ll see troops of gleeful actors opening stacks of wrapped…
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Reasons to love winter
“What’s the secret to beating back the metaphorical darkness? Accept the inevitable, tend to your physical and mental health, and stack the deck with feel-good activities. Focusing on all that makes you feel great will make the time fly by – and let you win at winter.” ~Frank Lipman, MD There’s a light dusting of snow outside my window this morning. While I hate driving on snowy roads, I try to adapt when Mother Nature gives us the cold shoulder. There’s science to prove that spending time in cold weather slows the aging process and benefits our health in several ways. Being outdoors in cold temperatures “is showing promise as…
