I have a thing for chocolate chips. It’s a big joke around here that I get nervous when I discover that I’ve run out of them. Actually, it’s no joke. My go-to recipes when I feel like baking are chocolate chip banana bread and chocolate chip cookies. I was raised on chocolate chip pancakes, and I raised my kids on chocolate chip pancakes. Homemade chocolate chip ice cream? Yum. Adding chocolate chips to store-bought vanilla ice cream? Nearly as good because chocolate chips. After dinner I’ll occasionally grab a little handful of chocolate chips to satisfy a sweet tooth. One of my favorite episodes of “Friends”? The one where Monica…
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Enthusiasm is Contagious. Let’s Spread It Around.
I cried this morning. It was a good cry, though: my favorite. I was actually on the phone with a close (close close) friend and she was telling me about something in her life that had been looking pretty grim for a while but just had a huge turnaround. She started crying and then I started crying, and it was just the best. I kept saying, “I’m just so happy to hear you sounding happy!!” I felt such joy and wished I could bottle it. Then I took Roxie for a walk, and since that’s where I do a lot of good thinking, my brain wandered from this morning’s conversation…
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Here’s Something You Can Do On The National Day of Remembrance.
In 2012, I started a new personal tradition for the National Day of Remembrance. I had visited the National September 11 Memorial when I was in Manhattan for BlogHer ’12, and was extremely moved by the experience (massive understatement). It occurred to me that, rather than passively watch the televised tributes and read what the rest of the internet had to say about 9/11, each year I would involve myself by actively remembering and learning about a couple of the victims of that terrible day. Patrick Currivan, 52, was a passenger on Flight 11. He was a Vice President at Atos-Euronext and an avid traveler who also loved opera and…
- Amazing People, Blessings, Confessions, Friends, I've Got Mad Skillz, Jim Has Mad Skillz, My Friends Have Mad Skillz, My Kid Has Mad Skillz
Coping Skills For Mostly Happy People
I’m lucky in that I don’t have too many bad days. I’m constantly counting my blessings and I realize all the time that my life is pretty darn good. I am a completely normal human being though, which means that I’m not happy all the time. Life is a roller coaster: ups AND downs are part of the deal. Yesterday? Was a downer. Being a mostly happy person, I tend to freak people out when I’m having a bad day. It’s not that my friends think I cannot have a bad day (or am not allowed a bad day), but when I’m walking around living a 21st century Pollyanna life,…
- Do I Really Want My Readers To Know This?, I've Got Mad Skillz, Something That Could Change Your Life
How To Organize Your Inbox, My Way.
Email, which is mostly awesome, has altered our perception of what is an acceptable speed of every day communication to the point where the idea of waiting two or three days for a piece of snail mail is almost totally preposterous unless you’re waiting on an old-school wedding invitation or a package from Amazon. The way I see it, there are two bad things about email: the way it has totally reduced our patience level (see above) and the way it can clutter up an inbox beyond belief so that you A) can’t find anything and B) lose your marbles over the sheer volume of it. Or is that just…
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Three Bags Full
I used to have a really hard time getting rid of stuff. I remember spending weekends in the first couple of years we were married, crying about things Jim thought we should drop off at Goodwill. The reasons behind that could fill a whole other blog post so I won’t go into detail, but suffice it to say that over the years I have become much better at letting go of extra stuff and now I enjoy being surrounded mainly by the things I love. Still, I look around my house and know that I could get rid of more. Clutter is the enemy of my mind, and affects how…
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Invest In Others! Here’s Why.
About six weeks ago I wrote about my chance meeting with an old friend. We talked about how she wasn’t happy at work anymore and really preferred to get herself onto a different career path but had no idea how to get started. I offered to help her figure it out but, just as I predicted (sadly), I never heard from her. There are all kinds of reasons why people don’t reach out for help. Sometimes it simply seems easier to stay in the unhappy place than to get out. Instigating life changes is hard work. I would guess it’s almost always worth it, though. I was recently inspired by…
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Invest In Yourself Because Life Is Too Short.
I ran into an old friend at the store a couple of weeks ago. We used to see each other all the time: her older daughter went to school—kindergarten through grade twelve!—with my older son. These days, though we still live in the same neighborhood, we don’t have that common bond anymore and at most, one of us waves at the other while walking the dog. On the rare occasion when we see each other out in town, it’s fun to catch up. This time, she asked me what I was up to and I gave her just enough information about my activities to satisfy her curiosity without making her…
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On Sad Songs That Make Me Very Happy
I was on the phone with Liz yesterday and we were talking about my upcoming visit, during which we’ll take a side trip to Atlantic City. I’ve always wanted to see it even though it’s not the same as it was in its heyday, and Liz says that it’s pretty much the only big stretch of New Jersey beach we haven’t checked out, so I’m in. As we were talking, I said, “I was listening to my ‘Wanderlust’ playlist on Spotify yesterday and Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Atlantic City’ came on! I LOVE THAT SONG. It’s so beautiful!” Then I thought for a second, and said, “Wait, well, I love it but…
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Hugs
I think about hugs a lot. That seems like a ridiculous statement, especially for a post-opener. My blog, my rules. Hugs, real, live, in-person ones, can be so healing. They can fill you up a little bit (or a lot) if you’re feeling empty. They can reassure you, warm you up, and make you feel more loved in that moment than in all the other non-hugging moments of that entire day. Hugs are magical, especially the ones that linger just a couple of seconds longer than you expect. Virtual comments on Facebook or texts that say “Hugs!”? Well, the jury is still out on those but I choose to believe…