I just broke a major personal taboo: I skipped and skimmed my way through a novel. Gasp!  (Those of you with truly exotic piercings and kitchen appliance fetishes are rolling your eyes about now…)  I’ve always been a reader, and I’ve felt it part of the Reader’s Code that if you start a book, you [...]

Ever worked your tail off only to have someone call you “lucky”? It’s a pretty sucky feeling. It’s much more fun to take complete credit for everything you do, and paint yourself as an odds-beater. But where does luck really come into the picture, and what role does it have in our success?
In my estimation, [...]

I had a feeling that something weird was happening.  I couldn’t figure out why.  Nothing specific was out of the ordinary, or even the slightest bit untoward.  But something in that instant message gave me the creeps, even if I trusted the source.  I logged off as quickly as I could and tried to the [...]

Today I’m excited to present a guest post from author Paul Maurice Martin.  Paul’s experiences with Trappist monks as well as years in education help him lend a unique perspective to the topic of meditation.  Enjoy! —S.
Meditation is often discussed online today. But sometimes I think it’s discussed to the point of making it sound [...]

I’ll say it up front: this post won’t pertain to everyone.  Here’s how to know if I’m talking to you.  Imagine the first words out of your mouth in the following situations:
*Someone squeezes next to you in a cramped aisle
*You ate the last slice of pizza
*Someone commented on your clothing
*Your boss made a neutral statement [...]

Is there someone in your life who seems to handle things in stride, even when everyone else is jumping out of their skin?  That person is not me.  But I have tremendous respect for those folks, and have dreams of one day being that calm and collected.
Day to day drama can erupt around you on [...]

Today’s post is courtesy of the lovely Angela C.  I’m a huge fan of incorporating service into everyday life, so I love her ideas here and hope you do as well.
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”- Anne Frank
What does service mean to you? For [...]

It’s getting to be downright embarrassing how much I have to learn from three-year-olds.  Despite having about as large a vocabulary as my dog, these kids have Yoda moments more often than I’m comfortable admitting.  I used to teach art to pre-K kids, with the emphasis being on process art.  In process art settings, the [...]