Who doesn’t want to be happy? The right to pursue happiness is even written in the United States’ Declaration of Independence. Then there’s the popular post floating around the internet. Perhaps you’ve read it… “Someone once said, "There comes a time in your life,...
Convictions, Preferences, and Disagreements
I’m a person of strong opinions. It’s rare that I don’t have an opinion on a subject – just ask my husband! Lately, though, I’ve been wondering about the art of disagreement. Without meaning to, I’ve come up against passions that run high and emotions that run deep on...
I Could Never…
Have you ever watched someone live with a terrible situation, and then said, “I could never do that”? I remember the words as if I had spoken them yesterday. My friend, Betty, was caring for her father-in-law during his terminal illness. He had moved in with them...
Expect the Unexpected
Advice we’ve all heard: Expect the unexpected. But is that really possible? If we expect the unexpected, doesn’t that mean it’s no longer unexpected? To expect the unexpected is to be flexible, to be prepared for options we may not have intended to plan for. For the...
Pay It Forward
Once upon a time I was the Vice President of Human Resources for an international insurance company. The corporate rat race consumed all my energies. Writing for publication was a vague dream that belonged to another life – a life far removed from my reality. Twenty...
More Bang for My Buck
The National Bureau of Economic Research has declared the recession to be over. According to their data, it ended in June, 2009. But don’t be surprised if fourteen million unemployed people disagree. Still, even for those who have found jobs and are part of the...
The Value of Spontaneity
Planner? Check! Calendar? Check! Schedule? Check! Lists? Check! As you might imagine from the above, I write things down, I plan ahead, and I have an orderly (and perhaps a bit compulsive) life. Spontaneity is not one of my strongest characteristics! But I’ve been...
The Inconvenience of Friendship
I’ve been thinking about friends and friendship recently. I love being a friend. I love doing for my friends. But I find it difficult to accept when friends do for me. There, I’ve said it. I want to help, not be helped. I don’t mind inconveniencing myself, but I am...
The Croquet Lesson
Last Saturday, a group of us went on a mysterious outing. All the planners would say is that we had to dress casual, wear all-white, and make sure we wore comfortable shoes – preferably sneakers. The four of us met at 9:00am (well, almost 9am – I was late! 😳 )....
Money CAN Buy You Happiness!
All my life I’ve heard people say money cannot buy happiness. Are they wrong? Two professors at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs set out to determine whether the saying is true. They analyzed 450,000 survey responses to learn if money...
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