• Christmas in July

    July 10, 2018 / No Comments

    Married couples inevitably create small traditions that when repeated year after year become part of their shared history. One of our favorite traditions is to buy a new ornament for the Christmas tree each year, a purchase we make in July.

    Buying a Christmas ornament in the middle of the summer serves four purposes. One, ornaments tend to go on sale in July. And since we get ours personalized with the appropriate names/dates, I take advantage of these sales to save a little money.

    Two, the simple practice of searching through ornament sites, finding the best options and sharing them with my husband reminds me that Christmas is coming. No matter how hot things are now or how much pressure the state of the world is placing on our heads, there is something joyful in our future.

    Three, purchasing the annual ornament officially marks the start of my Christmas-buying season. That’s right; I’m one of those crazy folks who starts shopping for friends and family six months in advance. But doing so means I also have six months to pay off all those bills — and avoid the inevitable stress that comes from adding one more thing to my holiday “to do” list. Instead, by doing all of my shopping between now and November, I have the time to search for sales, find just the right gift (rather than settling for whatever is left on store shelves) and get it wrapped in time. Plus, with all of my shopping done, I can dedicate the month of December to baking, putting up the tree and stress-free revelry.

    Lastly, buying our ornament each year reinforces my sense of optimism that we’ll still be together come Yuletide. You never know when illness or accident will strike, when economies will stumble or when Death will reap. But we bought the 2018 ornament so hopefully all will be well when we pull it out of storage in December and place it upon our tree — together.

  • Typewriter - Once upon a time

    My 10 favorite fictional authors

    July 1, 2018 / 2 Comments

    In a world where authors are told to “write what you know,” it’s not surprising that so many novels feature characters who write for a living.

    I sense these stories appeal to other writers or aspiring writers or bibliophiles. Since I am two of the three, I’m utterly drawn to such tales. Here are my 10 current favorites fictional authors:

    * Joan Wilder, “Romancing the Stone”
    * Karen Eiffel, “Stranger Than Fiction”
    * Richard Castle, “Castle”
    * Jack Torrence, “The Shining”
    * Temperance Brennan, “Bones”
    * Gil Pender, “Midnight in Paris”
    * T.S. Garp, “The World According to Garp”
    * Mike Noonan, “Bag of Bones”
    * Jamie, “Love Actually”
    * Paul Sheldon, “Misery”

  • Time for a curiosity check

    June 27, 2018 / 1 Comment

    Answer these three questions:

    1) You’re reading a book and come across a word you don’t recognize. Do you look it up in the dictionary?

    2) While sitting on your couch, you hear a loud noise. Do you get up to see what caused it?

    3) Have you started a new hobby in the past year?

    Answering yes to any/all of these questions indicate that you have some level of curiosity — deep in the recesses of your brain, there’s a center of wonder, a place of questioning, a need to know. This is great news! Now, feed that need. As Plutarch once wrote: “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.”

    Did you answer no to any/all of the above questions? That’s great news, too! You now have the opportunity to grow, to change and to try. The world is literally your oyster. Pick up a new book, listen to a singer you’ve never heard before, wander through a museum or explore a city, a library or a hiking trail. The more your step out of your comfort zone, the more likely you’ll have experiences that will change your life.

    Don’t know what to do first? Here are some great suggestions.

  • Pedestrian walkway for exercise lined up with beautiful tall trees

    Quote of the week

    June 25, 2018 / No Comments

    “A city is successful, not when it’s rich but when its people are happy. Creating bikeability and walkability shows respect for human dignity. We’re telling people, ‘You are important — not because you’re rich, but because you are human.’ If people are treated as special, as sacred even, they behave that way. We need to walk just as birds need to fly. Creating public spaces is one way to lead us to a society that is not only more equal but also much happier.” —Meik Wiking