You ever see a four-year-old walk into a room and declare, "Man! I am soooooo stressed out!" Me neither. There are a multitude of reasons that little kids aren't stressed-out and inches away from little heart attacks, but one of them is because they tend to listen to their bodies. Mind you, this doesn't happen consciously. Rather, they have the tendency to go with the flow; letting their bodies dictate when to go and when to crash. Fiction author Robin Brande calls this "living naturally." In a recent blog post, she painted a wonderful picture of a friend's daughter as an atom: pure …
Adultitis
Adultitis, Bowling, and Cheese
Adultitis likes to ease you into routines, which ultimately leads to ruts. Once you're in a rut, Adultitis is happy and wants to keep you that way. And while Adultitis is happy, you -- and the people around you -- are not. One of the best (and easiest) ways to stay childlike is to try new things. It keeps YOU fresh and ADULTITIS frustrated. It's fun, it gives you new perspectives on things, and helps you to stay curious. Kim and I tried a new thing last Friday night: mini-bowling. We went with my buddy Phil Gerbyshak (read his article on mixing work and play in the Escape Adulthood …
39 Ways To Slow Down Summer
1. Start the day with an early morning energizing walk. 2. Sleep under the stars. 3. Turn your cell phone off on the evenings and weekends. 4. Find water and sit by it. (It’s that simple.) 5. Dine outside at the local eatery. 6. Walk barefoot in the grass. 7. Send a card or write a letter to a friend (not an email). 8. Go for ice cream after dinner. 9. Invite your colleagues to an impromptu lunch in the grass. 10. Go fishing. …
A Time and Place for Everything
Today I had a very ironic experience. Jason and I hosted my parents this weekend. The weather was just gorgeous, so we decided a lunch down at The Pier would be great. It's a restaurant connected to The Edgewater hotel in Madison. The tables are right on the pier of Lake Mendota, Madison's largest lake. It was one of those days when you just soak in everything- the sunshine, the breeze, the conversation, the jumping fish, the ducks, the kayakers and even the families nearby (more on that soon...). As we sat under the blue and white umbrella and decided what we wanted for lunch, my mom …
5 Ways to Let Adultitis Spoil Your Summer
Summer is just around the corner. If you're not careful, it can be monopolized by all kinds of outdoor activity, good food, and relaxing afternoons spent in the warm sun. Needless to say, anyone with a healthy case of Adultitis wouldn't want any of that happening! So here are five foolproof ways to make sure your summer stays sub par: 1.) Stay inside. That's right, lock the doors, bolt the windows, and jack up the air conditioner full blast. No need to risk getting swept up in any spontaneous temptations that typically occur outdoors, like cookouts, carnivals, or neighborly chitchat. 2.) …
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Playing Hooky With My Hubby
This morning I went for my morning walk and it was one of those perfect days. The temperature was in the 70's, the sky was clear, and the birds were chirping. I think it might have been the smell of fresh lilac bushes on my route that put me over the edge. I had this overwhelming urge to play hooky and enjoy the beautiful weather with my favorite guy. WI gets a bad rap for being cold in the winter, but there is no place I'd rather be in the spring. When we did the Escape Plan last year Jason and I especially enjoyed Challenge #40- Sick Of It Day. Being the last day of the 40-day journey, …
Being Productive (and mean)
My husband recently challenged me to answer the question, “what is the secret to being productive?” This meme was started by Ben Yoskovitz. Jason shared his childlike secrets to productivity. My answer: discipline (aka being mean). Do I have Adultitis? You be the judge. When I taught Kindergarten I had to be mean sometimes. I'm sure parents can relate. It was hard at first, but then I just got used to it. ;) …
Adultitis on the Subway
This video, which I found over at Bernie DeKoven's blog, is a fascinating look at the different stages of Adultitis. Subways are typically filled with lots of Adultitis-afflicted people (especially on Monday mornings). At the start of this video, most of the people are demonstrating some level of the disease. As the music continues, those who are in the early stages of Adultitis loosen up a bit -- some even a lot. But there's one guy who must have a full-blown case. He seems genuinely perturbed and paranoid at first, and then kinds of warms up to a low level of curiosity. But he keeps his back …
Don’t Walk Around the Puddles
If you have one of those anti-bacterial hand gels in your possession, think again. Jason and I have been out and about enjoying spring. The grass is quite green in Madison, which tells you it's been raining a fair share. Spring brings puddles. Puddles bring fun. And wet shoes and socks, which is why at some point in our lives we start walking around them instead of jumping directly into them. What if I told you that getting messy and dirty is actually good for your mental and physical health? …
Tennis Balls and Adultitis
I saw this photo the other day at This Is Broken. It's a walker, with tennis balls on the feet. I had to stop and think, but yep, I'm pretty sure that EVERY SINGLE WALKER I'VE EVER SEEN has had tennis balls on the feet. (Granted, most of them are green, but that's neither here nor there.) I have lots of questions (Why tennis balls? Who decided tennis balls would do the job? How in the world did the idea spread to every single walker user in the universe?), but the most important question is the one that apparently hasn't been asked. …