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I’m in love. It’s a completely superficial kind of adoration. And it’s not with a person this time. Actually, I am as red as my newly-picked tomatoes admitting this but… I have completely fallen for my new refrigerator. It’s not like I can say hey, it’s so smart, funny, fit or interesting. But I love it!  I went to a favorite appliance store and interviewed a salesman. I ogled the Sub-Zero, a model I had previously owned twice, but now felt too expensive--and big--with its huge dimensions and two compressors, since I wasn't sure how long I would stay in...

We're getting older and much to our chagrin are we ever learning more about illness and how to cope. There are the typical daily aches and pains and then there are the real problems from broken bones and bad backs, to auto immune diseases and, heaven forbid, cancer. Dealing with illness, losses, failures, and disappointments can also stretch people’s outlook and spur them to do things they’ve always wanted.  How you deal with a diagnosis has a big impact on healing. Do you shut down--go to bed, throw the quilt over your head and sulk in self-pity? “It’s my pity party,”...

So many things we do require patience whether something as ordinary as brushing our teeth with an electric toothbrush for two minutes (BORING), working hard to meet a deadline, babysitting our grandchildren, volunteering to tutor a pre-teen, figuring out the best way to deal with the current political situation, or listening to our kids vent to us on the phone and not judge them.  However, as we have aged, our patience has been playing hide and seek. It comes and goes sort of like a love affair. We fall in love and want to stay but that isn’t always the...

Dear Nolan, We ran out of time. Your life ended too soon on that beautiful spring morning in 2011. I spent the night before sleeping in your hospital room on a recliner next to your bed. A hospice nurse kindly told me she didn’t think you’d live through the night. I was unable to close my eyes as I listened to your labored breathing, terrified at the thought it would stop. I climbed up and snuggled next to you, kissed you on the cheek, and whispered, “Nolan, I love you very much.” Two hours later, you slipped away after our...

Some of us are morning people. We jump out of bed eager to begin our day. Rise and shine. Others moan and groan and are grouchy until they have their first--or second--cup of coffee. Regardless of our wake up mood du jour, each of us needs a good reason to get up and get going come a new day.    Many of the people we’ve interviewed over the years who feel productive and positive about their lives say they wake up happy and hopeful. They can’t wait to get up and get started. What is the common denominator? In most...