Finding Happiness

As we get caught up developing our careers and bringing up our families, we often think ahead of the time when we will have more time for ourselves. Those golden years of retirement – those years of leisure… and pleasure! If our expectations are too high…

I love traveling, especially to major cities. When contemplating a trip to an urban area with its requisite museums, sculpture parks, cafes, and rococo/classical/art deco architecture styles, I’m as excited as a dog gets when its owner jingles the car keys… 

One morning while enjoying an aromatic brew under the shade trees of our local coffee shop, my 80-year-old friend, an Asian history cognoscente and a master at nailing the one-liner, summed up his philosophy of life for me in five words…

You probably know that Jobs dropped out of college. He reasoned that he didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life, he didn’t see how college would play a role, and he didn’t want to spend his parents’ money foolishly. He trusted that it would all work out…

I sat bolt upright in the middle of the night and suddenly felt I was drowning in my own inadequacies. From different corners of my mind I was hearing, “Lazy! Weak! Running out of money!”

Here I am, waiting for Spring to arrive and Winter to finally release its grip, and I feel like I am stuck in rush hour traffic. I am idling and unable to move forward until others move first, and I have no power or influence to get them going. The folks behind…

You enter a flower mart to fashion a vibrant bouquet for your home. Flowers reliably lift your spirits, especially after a long winter. With abundant variety available in Spring, you choose Yellow River daffodils, Wedgewood-blue lilacs, Magic Opal irises…

I am exceedingly clean. I take a shower every morning and a bath every night. I wash in all the right places. My mother would be proud of me. But all this bathing has nothing to do with getting clean. There are so many other reasons to pursue these activities…

It has taken me over 60 years, but I have finally come to understand that you truly cannot take care of anyone else unless you take care of yourself first. Just like the safety instructions on an airplane – Put Your Oxygen Mask on First!

When was the last time you wrote yourself a love letter? When was the last time you lovingly looked upon yourself in a mirror and spoke positively to yourself? For some, the answer could be as recent as this morning. For many women over 60…