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Barbara The yearly feeding frenzy of holiday shoppers has begun. While post-Thanksgiving shoppers ventured forth with tasers in hand and hearts full of greed and aggression, my mood turned pensive. Is this really what life is all about? What compels someone to leave their table of blessing to find (and sometimes fight with others to get) more … Read more
Invictus by William Ernest Henley Out of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. … Read more
Living to 100 is only great if you’re healthy enough to enjoy it. While good genes and a healthy diet help, they’re not the best indicator of who will live well into old age. How we age depends less on our genetics and more on our cultural expectations, according to Mario Martinez, PhD, the creator … Read more
A visit to Crater Lake in October offered the rare opportunity to wear flip-flops in the snow. Normally I’m a two-pair-of-wool-socks kind of gal when there’s snow on the ground. But the snow at Crater Lake was only in patches and though the wind was blowing and the air was chilly, it was sunny enough … Read more
Today is the day we “fall back” into standard time. It’s days like today that help us realize how arbitrary time is. Time is a construct we create to give order to a concept we can’t quite fathom—eternity. In eternity, all things happen simultaneously: past, present, and future are all one just as we are … Read more
California is a state where thousands go to lose themselves in their dreams of fame, fortune, or just plain ole’ fun. Yet some of the best places to dream in California have nothing to do with Disneyland or Hollywood. The best places to dream in California are in its amazing natural settings. On a road-trip … Read more
There’s nothing as wonderful as a dinner shared with people you love and a menu of fresh-caught tuna and yellowtail broiled with herbs, spices, olive oil and butter. That is, until dinner turns toxic. Five of us shared this yummy dinner and all five of us suffered the symptoms of scombroid poisoning. If it sounds … Read more
When I was small, I was a part of a boisterous extended family in which shouting was the norm. Being an introvert by nature (and a person with acute hearing), the noise at family gatherings was a challenge for me to manage. I was even more challenged when anger crept into the shouting. When the … Read more
Is our food killing us? Asking this question is logical given what’s happened since the introduction in the mid-1990s of genetically modified seeds to increase production – some say so we can feed the world, others say so that agribusiness can reap higher profits. During this same timeframe the rate of food allergies and obesity … Read more
Mastering the balance between accepting life as it is and realizing that our thoughts create our reality is a life-long endeavor. Many modern-day gurus and life coaches of all stripes are quick to tell us that everything we experience we create. I’m not disputing that the essence of what they say is true, but I believe life … Read more