“Make things as simple as possible, but no simpler.” – Albert Einstein Minimalism has been around for years, but every few years it crops up like it’s a new idea. And this is one of those times … even as COVID made hoarding toilet paper and cleaning supplies seem like a good idea. To be …
“Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.” – Soren Kierkegaard 2020 is over, and the New Year is upon us … finally. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t been this anxious and excited about bringing in a new year since Y2K. In my last post of 2020, we …
What to Do With Unwanted Gifts: A Metaphor For Surviving 2020 Read More »
“What the new year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the new year.” – Vern McLellan New Year’s resolutions—love ‘em or hate ‘em, they’re inescapable this time of year. And even if you hate them, for many they hold an almost mystical appeal. The new year gives us …
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” – William James Approaching a new year always makes me reflective. As artificial as New Year’s day can be considering, on one hand, it’s just another day—I do appreciate the chance to reflect forward, individually and collectively. There’s not much point in talking about …
How to Cope When Things Feel Out of Your Control Read More »
“To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold.” – Aristotle It may feel like it’s been winter for months already, but December 21 marks the winter solstice for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s the shortest day of the year, and the official start of …
How to Stay Productive When the Days Get Shorter Read More »
“It isn’t how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.” – Mother Teresa A few weeks back, I wrote about how to enjoy the holidays without overspending—and of course that’s possible. That post included tips on gift-giving without breaking the bank . . . since before we consider the radical idea …
10 Free Gift Ideas to Restore Meaning to Your Holidays Read More »
“Home is where you are loved the most and act the worst.” — Marjorie Pay Hinckley The holidays are a bit of a mixed bag, right? On one hand, there’s a lot of great food around, and you don’t feel as bad about eating it as you would during beach season. On the other hand, …
How to Handle Family Time (When You’ve Already Had Too Much) Read More »
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.” — Melody Beattie Ah, Thanksgiving here in the U.S. The time of year when we gather to stuff ourselves with turkey or tofurkey (!) and pumpkin pie … And—when we’re doing it right—pausing long enough between bites to be thankful. …
LET THEM EAT … LABELS?! If you’re a Netflix watcher like I am, you’ve probably at least seen the trailer for The Home Edit. The show caught my eye, and not just because it’s about one of my favorite topics: home organization. It pops because it’s beautiful. There are wide shots of color-coded walk-in closets, …
“Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.” – Will Rogers Here’s an unsurprising statistic—consumer spending around the holidays, particularly in the United States, has risen steadily since 2008. We’re so used to seeing images of a frenzied mob on Black Friday that …
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