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Making Love Last, Even When It’s Long-Distance

By in Blog, love & relationships

Couple

“Love as much as you can from wherever you are.” ~Thaddeus Golas

At the time I’m writing this article, I have been in a relationship for 1,369 days out of which 716 have been long-distance.

Yes, I keep track of the days, not just the months or the years, because I live every day, not every month.

I will not pretend the long-distance part has been an easy journey; and anyone who has dabbled even for a little bit in the idea of long-distance relationships can tell you that it takes a lot of love, but more importantly it takes …

99-Year-Old Woman Makes a Dress Per Day for a Child in Need

By in Fun & Inspiring

She’s almost 100 years old, but that hasn’t stopped Lillian Weber from making a massive difference in the world.

Every day she starts and finishes a unique dress for Little Dresses for Africa, a non-profit that distributes dresses to impoverished young girls in Africa and beyond. She’s made more than 840 so far, and hopes to keep going to reach her goal making 1,000.

What an amazing woman, and what an inspiring goal!

Try Not to Become Bitter: There Is More Good Than Bad

By in Blog, change & challenges

Man Silhouette

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” ~Martin Luther King Jr.

A few years ago, when my younger son was about ten, the reality of the losses that go with living in this beautiful but flawed world suddenly hit him.

I’ll never forget the conversation. This was a child born two months before 9/11, and since we live in a New York suburb and my husband worked across the street from the Twin Towers, what was a loss for so many has been my son’s reality his whole life. Both of my sons are in the generation …

Life Is Full of Beauty

By in Fun & Inspiring

Life Is Full of Beauty

Source

Overcome Limiting Thoughts: 5 Ways to Be Happier and More Present

By in Blog, happiness & fun, mindfulness & peace

Happy and Present

“The past exists only in our memories, the future only in our plans. The present is our only reality.” ~Robert Pirsig

Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by unpleasant thoughts and feelings? Do they show up like an uninvited guest when you’re least expecting them?

About eight months ago, I quit a lucrative corporate job in finance to follow my passion, writing.

Like most things in life, this decision came with a cost.

And all the angst that comes with it.

A few months into my venture, I noticed my angst had become a large part of my mental world. I …

Things That Weigh You Down

By in Fun & Inspiring

Things That Weigh You Down

Source: DrRiseborough.com

Letting Go of the Attachments That Keep You Unhappy

By in Blog, happiness & fun, letting go, work fulfillment

“Letting go gives us freedom and freedom is the only condition for happiness.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh

My father died when I was fifteen, so I learned right away that life was too short. At the time, the only meaning I could grasp from his death was that my life needs to mean something.

I vowed to make something great out of myself.

I went to college determined to become a police officer. I had a strange gut feeling going in, something telling me that it was wrong, but I just assumed it was because I had a hearing loss, and …

How to Find Yourself By Losing Yourself

By in Blog, change & challenges, letting go, work fulfillment

“Our lives improve only when we take chances and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves.” ~Walter Anderson

Growing up in a small town in Western Canada, I was known as the kid who accomplished things.

I was the well-mannered and conscientious child who skipped grade two, was at the top of her class, played three musical instruments, took ballet lessons, French lessons, swimming lessons, and any other lesson in which I expressed an interest.

While this might sound like the calendar of an over-scheduled kid, it actually never felt that way. …

Buddha Doodles: Faith in Humanity

By in Fun & Inspiring

BuddhaDoodles_FaithInHumanity

Source: Buddha Doodles

What Happens When We Don’t Say What We Think and Feel

By in Blog, love & relationships

Talking

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” ~George Bernard Shaw

Can we just talk?

Those words can be a buzzkill on dates, and yet talking is the most profound interaction we will ever have with another human being.

A while back, my husband walked into the kitchen where I was reading an article on my phone and asked me if I had a chance to get a Father’s Day card for his dad (who lives in Canada). I said no I didn’t, and, since it was eight in the evening, I’d get it …

7 Ways to Put Life Back into Your Relationship

By in Blog, love & relationships

Couple Jumping

“Eventually you will come to realize that love heals everything, and love is all there is.” ~Gary Zukav

I was always a hopeless romantic. Since I was a little girl, I craved love and the fairy tale romance.

Growing up in a two-parent home, I was very fortunate to see that it was, in fact, possible. In my teen years, I remember fantasizing about the cute boy with the dimples and how he would take me to prom and eventually carry me over the threshold after our wedding night.

I thought that all relationships were unicorns and rainbows, but after …

Blake Leeper: Inspiring Double Amputee Runner

By in Fun & Inspiring

A double amputee since he was nine years old, Blake Leeper has an inspiring message to share about facing challenges, giving it your all, and getting up after you fall.

“A true champion is that person that when they do fall down, when they get back up they come back stronger. And they show the world that this is not the end of me. And that I have so much more left.”

Authenticity Is…

By in Fun & Inspiring

Authenticity

3 Ways to Let Go Of Control and Relax Into The Flow

By in Blog, letting go, mindfulness & peace

“You must learn to let go. Release the stress. You were never in control anyway.” ~Steve Maraboli

Sometimes I try really hard to control things.

I run two businesses so, in many ways, control gives me a sense of peace of mind.

When my team is doing what they are supposed to be doing, I can relax. When business is booming, I can relax. When I am getting what I want, I can relax.

This control freak-ness doesn’t just apply for me in just business. I used to be this way about my body, and I notice these tendencies …

Managing Anxiety: 5 Steps to Open Your Mind and Calm Your Heart

By in Blog, change & challenges, mindfulness & peace

Calm Woman

“Don’t wait for your feelings to change to take action. Take action and your feelings will change.” ~Barbara Baron

I’ve struggled with anxiety for as long as I can remember. From the time I was very young, I would worry about things—my life, my parents, my house, the state of the world.

I would experience a tightness in my chest and an overall sense of fear that only got worse the more I worried. The more I worried, the more afraid I became of the unseen factors that plagued me.

Anxiety is distress, caused by fear of danger or misfortune, …

When Positive Thinking Doesn’t Help

By in Blog, change & challenges, happiness & fun, mindfulness & peace

Sad girl

“The best way out is always through.” ~Robert Frost

Earlier this year my partner, our son, and I all moved to Santa Barbara from Oregon. People move all the time, but for us it was a huge step.

My partner had a new exciting dream job, and we were eager to experience the sunshine of California. But our son was only six months old at the time, and we were leaving both our families and all of our friends. On top of that, I was leaving my successful private practice in Chinese Medicine to become a stay-at-home-mom.

I knew it …

3 Essential Elements for Long-Term Happiness

By in Blog, happiness & fun

Happiness

“He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much.” ~Bessie Anderson Stanley

Love. Purpose. Selflessness. 

That’s it. Everything I’ve learned about happiness lies in those three words.

Why those words?

Because in their absence it’s hard to be happy. Your mind wanders and sets upon trying to fill that void, leaving little room for joy and happiness elsewhere.

I’m willing to go as far as to say that these are the three most essential elements to your happiness.

I spent my formative years trying to understand why I wasn’t happy. And in the times I felt …

Forgive All of Your Thems

By in Fun & Inspiring

Forgive all of your thems

Source: NotSalmon.com

When Nothing Feels Like Enough: Filling the Void of Spiritual Need

By in Blog, mindfulness & peace

Spirituality

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” ~Marcus Aurelius

I recently met a woman at a friend’s dinner party. She was tall and attractive, yet had a glowing, inviting energy about her. I liked her nearly immediately even though I had no concrete reason to. In my myopic mind, attractive and genuinely inviting energy do not combine, and I was naturally drawn to her for this combination.

Just as the Universe would have it, the woman and I were seated next to each …

6 Effective Practices for a Peaceful, Positive Mind

By in Blog, mindfulness & peace

Woman in Garden

“To ensure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life.” ~William Londen

We often focus on nourishing our bodies, with fitness and nutritious food, and forget that to function at our optimal level and experience overall well-being, it is equally important to nourish our minds.

Years ago I wasn’t doing either, and eventually I got stuck, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Physically, I had low energy; mentally, I was not growing; and emotionally, I was bored, resentful, and lost passion for life.

Life became a monotonous routine. I got lost in …