The other day I was browsing the artists on my iPod and came upon a classic, 'Forever Young,' by Rod Stewart. I decided to really listen to the words and was reminded how touching this song is. I heard someone say recently that we need to 'bless' other people more. This song is like a blessing. May you remain forever young. That's my wish. May the good Lord be with you Down every road you roam And may sunshine and happiness surround you when you're far from home And may you grow to be pround Dignified and true And do unto others As you'd have done to you Be courageous and be …
Live Passionately
Follow Your Passion
Now this is just plain cool. I know that "cartoonist" ranks pretty high on the list of fun jobs, but "play fort designer" is right up there too. If you have about $100,000 to burn -- and who doesn't? -- you can have Barbara Butler custom design a backyard play structure. (Non-custom designs will run you about $80,000 less). I especially like her philosophy: …
Skipping Into the New Year
When is the last time you skipped? Truly skipped? Yes, the popular activity of most six-year-old girls. Today I discovered iskip.com. It is a site dedicated to promoting the positive effects of skipping. The site shares that skipping just a few steps can instantly lift your mood and help you reconnect with your buoyant, exuberant, childlike spirit. Hey, that sounds like something I'm trying to do. Who knew? Skipping! The founder Kim Corbin believes that, "Today's world needs as much positive skipping energy as possible. That is why we are on a mission to share the joy and freedom of …
The Happy Side of Santa
So a few posts back I reported on some of the frightening reactions to Mr. S. Claus. From the Montgomery Advertiser comes a more heartwarming tale of a guy who bought a "ratty" old Santa suit eighteen years ago and wore it to a friends Christmas party. Now he's Montgomery's favorite Santa, with 70 holiday bookings this year. What a cool and unique way to spread the Christmas spirit. He seems like a nice enough guy, but I'm certain I still would have be terrified of him. …
Are You Sloopless?
Got an e-mail today from the publicist over at Cereality (you know, the super cool cereal cafe sent from heaven.) I'm happy to report that they are franchising, which means that it's only a matter of time before one opens up in Madison and I begin eating all meals there. The location in Chicago is close, yet so far away. …
Instant Cure
In search for a little peace this morning, I decided to imitate art. Actually I can’t take all of the credit for the idea. A friend of mine named Renee asked me to make a snow angel for her. She did her undergrad in Duluth, MN and now lives in Seattle, WA, where they do not get the snow that she was once accustomed to. I have to admit, the idea of getting snow on my wrists and ankles made me think twice. It doesn’t matter how many gloves or socks I have on, it is inevitable. “Kim” the character and I share that pet peeve. …
The Chocolate Factor
Smart companies know the advantages of adding a little dash of childlike nostalgia into their business plan. In fact, some companies have constructed entire business models around it. Take Ethel's Chocolate Lounge, for example. Described as a "new place to chocolate and chitchat," these lounges have combined the very childlike loves of great chocolate and fancy tea parties and added a grown-up spin. They're based in Chicago area, but I wouldn't be surprised if they started springing up elsewhere. …
Paper or Plastic?
I officially hate grocery shopping. I went this morning and I found myself moving rapidly from a calmly curable Stage 1 Adultitis (due to early morning grumpiness) to a severe case of Full-blown Adultitis. I think I would rather be sitting in a dentist chair. I know that's a bold statement, but I have pretty 'good' teeth. So, instead of dreading it every time our stomachs are growling, I am choosing to change my strategy a bit. How can I avoid the dark grumpy rain clouds that form over my head each time I am grabbing that cart? I looked online for some ideas only to be very disappointed. …
Birthday Blues
I ran across this blog today entitled "Tomorrow is Another Day" by a woman in Japan who goes by "Middle-Angel." She commented about her birthday, 'Yesterday I turned 54. Just unbelievable. I'm not wise enough for my age. I'm not deep enough for my age. I'm not generous enough for my age. In conclusion therefore, I should go much further to make myself accomplished.' I think Middle-Angel's thoughts are pretty common. Especially when we move closer to landmark birthdays (the ones with the 0's in the ones place), we start freaking out about our lives and what we've done with the time we've been …
Laughing More
My sister-in-law Katie does this thing every once in a while where she will demonstrate a bunch of different types of laughs. Unless you are the Grinch with a serious case of Adultitis, it is hard not to laugh along with her. Laughter is contagious, which is why this new trend of 'laughter yoga' is catching on. Have you heard of it? Elina Valkonen shares in a recent article in SixDegrees Magazine that the 2,500 laughter yoga classes worldwide are really helping to improve peoples' health, relationships, and overall mood. …