While it has been 10 years, I can still clearly recall the naturalist on our Amazon excursion saying each morning, "let's see what nature has in store for us today!" What an exciting way to start the day! Some of nature's gifts were better than others. The pink and purple sunrises gave memories, while my husband's piranha bite gave us a lesson. There truly is a gift in each day. It is easier to see on the good and best days, but let's think about the bad and worst days ... Do

Sometimes we are our own worst enemy! While we tend to treat our friends with love and kindness, we’re often much tougher on ourselves. Think back to the last time you helped a friend through something tough—maybe a breakup or a work/life decision. You were probably supportive, likely calm, and perhaps open-minded. Now, think back to one of your own recent challenges—a stressful situation, or a snub from a family member. Chances are, your mindset was anything but calm and sel

I hope your year is off to a good start! Over my break I was reminded of a poem that I have published before, written by a Brooklyn high school student in 2015 ... Now read it again, but this time from the bottom to the top. Sometimes when we are struggling, we just need to consciously change our perspective. Our attitudes create our reality. Make it a point to focus on living 2023 from the bottom to the top! This Week's Focus: This week, accept the fact that your attitude

I hope your holiday season has been filled with some wonderful memories. Now it is time to slow down a little. Sometimes it is just necessary to refuel a bit. That is what I feel the need to do right now. Wishing you a great start to the new year. I'll be back with more simple tips for serenity in mid-January!

Giving is key to our well-being. Research has shown that when we volunteer, give of ourselves through time or money to help others, we benefit too. Our happiness grows, and we feel more satisfied with life. But there are some catches so you don't feel overwhelmed: 1. Give because you want to. I feel very strongly that we should not have hungry people in our first world country. Because of this, I want to help that need in any way I can, be it monetary donations, grocery gift

The holiday season is here, and with it comes additional demands and stress. Stress is a normal part of modern life, so I want to share a simple trick for calming yourself whether during the holidays or in any other stressful situation. Just stop for a minute and sit down with your back straight. Take a deep breath. Breathing deeply and slowly triggers the body to stop releasing stress hormones and start to relax. Here is how to do it ... Slowly while counting to four, brea

I highly recommend taking a 30-minute break to read The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. It is a beautiful little quick-read book about friendship. One of my favorite excepts is: "So you know all about me?" asked the boy, "Yes" said the horse. "And you still love me?" "We love you all the more." Some people have a difficult time relying on their friends for emotional support or sharing their personal feelings with them. But ironically, having the courage to open up and s

Have you ever felt afraid of showing affection, love, sympathy or even dissatisfaction? At times, pride, fear, lack of courage or low self esteem can cause us to hide our feelings. As humans, we are meant to have feelings. You never know what your words or feelings could do to someone's life! Life is too short to hide your feelings. Don't be afraid to say what you feel. Think how regretful you'd be about unspoken words. Life is a journey, Enjoy the very best of the journey

I have lots of people in my life who are facing some very challenging times. Our natural instinct as humans is to try to help them with advice. But people don't always need advice . Sometimes all they really need is a hand to hold, an ear to listen, and a heart to understand them. So how do we know what they need? One of the biggest mistakes is to guess. Instead we are best off pausing from our initial reaction to give advice, and instead ask them what they need. There is no