I launched my blog in 2009 when I was wrestling with a midlife crisis. Since then, the digital world has changed so much. I was new to both Facebook and Twitter when I started blogging, and I was still rocking the BlackBerry for email. Instagram hadn’t launched yet. Podcasting and short videos are what the cool kids do these days, blogging is considered old fashioned. But I still find it the best way to share my thoughts and to profile people who inspire me.
I hope you’ll find something here that inspires you, or at least sparks a conversation. Some of my favorite posts are pinned to the top, scroll down a bit more to find the most recent, or check out the categories in the sidebar.
Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day 18: Clearly my mother wasn’t the only one brainwashing kids about thank you notes I love when a post gets people talking! Your input makes the conversation…
Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day 17: Give someone a gift that reminds you of your gratitude Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. ~William…
My mom was the thank you note enforcer. Writing them was non negotiable.
When I graduated from high school, Mom took custody of my graduation presents. Only after I had written a thank you note could I get possession of each gift.
So I admit to having a strong bias but I believe in the power of the thank you note — especially of the hand written and mailed variety.
Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day 15: How do you express your gratitude? The GratiDudes made this video below encouraging people to first make a daily list of the things you’re grateful for…
Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day 14: We’re about halfway through the Month of Thanksgiving. How are you doing? Sunday is a day of rest so I’ll take it a little easy on…
Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day 13: Taking a look at what a few other sources say about gratitude I am hardly the first person to think of the idea of being more…
I’ve noticed that the socially appropriate way to answer when someone asks how you’re doing is not necessarily “fine,” but instead “busy.” Maybe you add a flourish like “crazy busy” or “swamped.”
Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day 11: Giving thanks for the people who have hurt us It was the prophet Don Henley who said: I’ve been tryin’ to get down to the heart…
Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day 10: Instead of regretting the past, being grateful for the present This week I’m blogging about the reasons I’m not as grateful as I know I should…
Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day Nine: Being grateful for what you have instead of wanting what you don’t have Over the years, I’ve read various studies about how watching television encourages us…
Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day Eight: The Hate List Project As part of the Month of Thanksgiving, I shared the Love List Project from the blog Halfway to Normal. The basic concept…
Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day Seven: What stops you from being grateful? I know I’m pretty doggone lucky. I know I should be grateful for all my many blessings. But sometimes, let’s…
Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day Six: Why do you love what you love? Let’s go back to the Love List Project for inspiration one more time, reflecting on what we love so…
Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day Five: The Love List Project If you’re going to give thanks in a more meaningful way, I think it helps to reflect on what you’re thankful for. Earlier this…
Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day Four: Sharing my gratitude There is so much negativity and hostility online. It’s one of my least favorite things about the social Web. People feel empowered to…
Leading up to Thanksgiving, each day I will blog about what I’m doing to be more grateful. I invite you to join me, and to share your thoughts, observations, suggestions and ideas. Day Three: Getting started with your gratitude journal Maybe you’ve jumped right in to keeping a gratitude journal. With a song in your heart and a spring in…
Yesterday I introduced the idea of a Month of Thanksgiving, and invited you to spend a month focusing on gratitude. Robert Emmons at UC Davis is a gratitude researcher. Highlights of his research on gratitude and thanksgiving include: In an experimental comparison, those who kept gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical symptoms, felt better…
Thanksgiving is one month from today, on Nov. 26. It’s a holiday when lots of people spend at least a little time giving thanks, though in my experience that often means generalized pre-meal prayers like “We’re grateful for family, friends, our health, this food. Please pass the stuffing and turn up the Lions game.” I’d like to do better than…
My second job after college was at the weekly South Lyon Herald. We covered a small town in southeast Michigan like a big, wooly blanket — as the education reporter, I did a two-page spread on prom, for example. My editor there was Maria Stuart. It feels like ages ago for me, as I’ve moved numerous times, both my home…
Many thanks to my coworker, Dave, for sharing this video with me. I now share it with you. It’s about four minutes that will make you laugh and, with luck, will leave you thinking that mostly you’ve got it pretty good. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOzNrO54xsY] Thanksgiving is in about a month — it’s Nov. 26, if you’re now thumbing for your calendar — and heading…
The following explanation might confuse you, but that’s OK. Stick with me anyway. My friend Carmen recently wrote a guest post on her friend Kristin’s blog, Halfway to Normal. Kristin launched something she calls the Love List Project, which is a wonderful idea: make a list of the things you love, consider why you love them, then share what you…
I gave up eating meat my junior year of college and since then I’ve been nearly ever flavor of vegetarian possible — from nearly vegan, which means not eating any animal products including milk or eggs, to not eating red meat but partaking of pretty much everything else. One of the best changes that came from my initial decision was that it…
Just in time for Halloween, Preservation Hall debuts this beautiful animated video which includes a graveyard romp with Marie Laveau: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDYGIeZDMyg&feature=player_embedded] The video is part of a package from Preservation Hall Recordings featuring four small-group arrangements from the Preservation Hall Hot 4, the King Britt remix of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s “St. James Infirmary,” and three music videos. It’s…
As you might know, I’m a fan of Keith Ferrazzi, author of Who’s Got Your Back. On his blog this month, Keith offered six simple steps to improving your relationships. The Relationship Action Plan includes: Creating a list of 100 people who are most important to your success and joy Looking for ways to help people Getting smart about setting goals…
I adopted Haley when I was a senior in college. It was fall 1991, right around the first time I heard Nirvana. She proved to be an odd cat almost immediately. When I got home from working at the college newspaper late at night, I tried to get her to come to bed with me. She would have none of…
