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Shine on!
“To shine your brightest light is to be who you truly are.” ~Roy T. Bennett The neighbors across the street keep adding to their holiday lights display. Rising in the dark each morning, I see a brilliant show of twinkling icicles and glittering tree branches when I sip my first cup of coffee in my home office, which overlooks our neighborhood. Late November in Michigan is notoriously bleak — and these holiday light displays are a lovely way to cheer things up. I’ve often wondered why people remove them so soon after the new year. The holiday season is the perfect time to talk about shining. Remember: You don’t have…
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Unwrapping the stress of holiday giving
“Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.” ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Gift-giving can be as emotionally loaded as it is enjoyable — especially as we approach the Christmas season. As psychologists and etiquette experts agree, the stress of buying and exchanging gifts can dull our holiday sparkle if we don’t plan ahead. “Some people may feel social pressures to give gifts, but not in the same spirit as others,” says Irene S. Levine, PhD, psychologist and co-author of The Rules of Friendship. “If someone is depressed, for example, it might be particularly difficult to enjoy the spirit of the holidays.” The high expectations tied…
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Writing Home: My annual shameless plug
“A book has no unwanted calories and you don’t have to worry about sizes as long as the subject matter appeals to the recipient.” ~Sue Grafton Is there a reader on your holiday gift list? The 93 previously published pieces in Writing Home ($16.95) first appeared in a variety of national magazines and newspapers. Though the stories in this collection are personal and written from my heart, they chronicle the victories and losses we all experience as we raise our kids, lose our parents, make a living, and find our way through daily challenges. The late Detroit News columnist, George Cantor, wrote about the book after spending a day visiting my favorite hometown haunts…
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Take a breather
“Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.” ~Etty Hillesum Are you the person who needs to be running 24/7 in order to feel valuable? Are you ever ashamed to admit you need a nap? Is your conversation typically peppered with references to how “busy” you are? Does silence make you uncomfortable? Rest is good for body and soul, and wonderful things happen when we allow ourselves to unwind. Our muscles recover, our stress levels drop. We’re more receptive to fresh ideas when we sit still, breathe deeply, and welcome the silence. When we’re relaxed, we’re also more fun to…
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Happy Thanksgiving
“We must find the time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” ~John F. Kennedy While I’ve never been a huge fan of turkey with stuffing and gravy, or cranberry-anything, I’ve always appreciated the history and sentiment at the heart of our American Thanksgiving. (And I love pumpkin pie.) Unlike our brutally commercialized Christmas season, Thanksgiving doesn’t demand too much from us. It doesn’t require us to spend loads of cash or credit on gifts, nor does it push our festive energy to the limits. Regardless of our religious beliefs or church affiliation, Thanksgiving simply asks that we sit down together at a table…
