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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...

This blog is in homage to all the single people out there. Couples of the world, we have a proposal: Why not be a sport and include a single in your  dinner plans--and even on a Friday or Saturday "date" night. The single person will be eternally grateful.  We've written about this topic before—singles left out--but we believe it's worth stressing again. This world is made for twosomes, and we can probably blame it on Noah when he told the animal kingdom to send two of each kind to his ark.  Here’s a typical scenario. Those who are divorced or...

Barbara is fearful of bats and things that crawl. She can peg the bat phobia to her Maine sleep-away camp days when they were commonplace in their bunks because of the many pine trees outdoors. They ducked under their sheets and blankets and prayed they wouldn’t get into their hair. A recent sighting in her home sent her flying, literally, not under the covers but into another room. She now has a bat/wildlife expert on her speed dial. She also has a pest control company that visits every other month for the creepy crawlies that periodically show up but mostly...

A childhood friend recently shared that she’s feeling very lonely. It’s understandable since her former husband, with whom she had developed a good relationship, recently died, her only daughter is grown and getting married, and several of her closest friends have moved away. I sympathized and was so glad she was willing to be open so I could try to help. So many feel it’s a failure to admit such feelings. In this case, I quickly jumped in and shared that I would try to include her as much as I could in social situations, and she should come visit...

Most of us have experienced this sight: you’re in traffic at a busy intersection and a down-on-his-luck-person in torn clothing sometimes limping or using a walker is zig zagging up and down and through the lines of cars and asking for money. Most of us ignore the person because we feel uncomfortable or annoyed. It’s easy to become inured to their plight. Occasionally, someone will give by reaching out a window dangling a dollar bill or loose change. Some people even hand them food.  It was a searingly hot, humid St. Louis August morning when I recently was driving into...