Living Your Life

A Mellow Summer Breeze

September 1st, 2012
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Oil Painting By
William Merritt Chase
Happy Saturday My Wonderful and Faithful Readers!!
It’s Labor Day Weekend and that means that some of us are recalibrating and getting ready for the beginning of a new season.  Chrysanthemums, pumpkins and school supplies are already pushing their way into the stores.
What’s the hurry?
It may be the first day of September but it’s still warm and sunny and mentally I am all about the breezes of summer and how it makes me fine. . .
Do your remember the Seals and Crofts classic song, Summer Breeze?  I can hear the … Read More

You Say Tomato…

August 31st, 2012
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I can’t resist the red deliciousness of ripe, juicy summer tomatoes. . .plus, they are sooooooo good for you, body and soul. Tomatoes are considered a superfood because they contain a whole series of anticancer nutrients, such as lycopene, which is a powerful antioxidant that can help protect your body against degenerative diseases by neutralizing free radicals. What a mouthful!  In plain English what I’m trying to say is that tomatoes build up your immune system, the body’s front line system for fighting diseases.  In fact, doctors have found that a maintaining a diet high in the lycopene reduces the… Read More

Summer Fun

August 30th, 2012
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During the summer when I was a child, my mother used to let me and my siblings sit on the front steps of our house after the sun had set and it was almost night time.  We had taken our baths and we go outside in our pajamas.  It felt adventurous and at the same time silly!! What risk takers we were, right? We loved it because we got to stay up late since there wasn’t school to attend and there also was an incredible feeling of freedom and naughtiness.  We would play games outside in the warm summer air… Read More

New Orleans Deserves A Break

August 29th, 2012
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My son drywalling in New Orleans The people who live in the magical city of New Orleans know about resilience.  In fact, Webster’s dictionary should probably publish a picture of the city of New Orleans next to the word “resilience” to add depth to the word’s definition. Residents of New Orleans have proved over and over that they do have an incredible inner strength that gives them the “can-do” attitude to forge ahead and bounce back from natural disasters, the worst of which was Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and now is Hurricane Isaac. The rebuilding of New Orleans after Katrina… Read More

The Night of The Cicada

August 25th, 2012
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I am happy for the arrival of today, for yesterday was a day when I was trying to follow my own advice about staying positive, breaking down a problem and letting it go when you can’t do anything more. For me, I get stressed when I am thrown into a situation at work and expected to solve it quickly.  I can work under pressure but I don’t really like it.  I prefer to see the problem ahead of time and work on it in increments. But that isn’t what life is always about.  Untangling the problem takes time and sometimes… Read More

Street Sense

August 24th, 2012
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Martin Walker While buying produce today at the FRESHFarm market near the White House, I met a homeless man named Martin, who was selling newspapers and waiting to go to a drug and alcohol treatment program in West Virginia. I had seen Martin on previous trips to the market but didn’t say more than “Hi!” or smile at him.  Today, I bought a newspaper from him and we started talking.  Martin told me that as a vendor for Street Sense newspapers he is similiar to a self-employed subcontractor.  That means that when I buy a newspaper I am investing in … Read More

Welcome To Today!

August 23rd, 2012
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A good friend from high school who I am now friends with on Facebook (Yay!), posted the below message on her page. I found it to be so hopeful that I wanted to share it with you! Today is a new day, a clean slate and an opportunity to start or finish or say or write something that you didn’t get a chance to do yesterday. There is always hope that things will get better.  I truly believe it!!  Hang in there my sweet readers if you find you are going through a rough patch. Here’s a toast to today. … Read More

No More School Days

August 22nd, 2012
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Me and My Son Lately, I’ve been feeling as though I forgot to do something and I keep trying to pinpoint what it is. The other day I was driving around doing errands, letting my mind wander and I think I finally figured it out. This is the first time in 16 years that I am not helping my son get ready for school. I was in a big box store over the weekend and a separate section had been set up just for school supplies.  I watched the parents with their children buying notebooks (No! Not that kind!  I… Read More

Jesuit Motivation

August 21st, 2012
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When my son was in the midst of deciding where he wanted to go to college, Fordham University was near the top of his list.  But he was stuck between Fordham and another school and couldn’t make a decision. Trying to help him, I played the role of Devil’s Advocate:  “You are getting ready to graduate from a Jesuit high school and now you are thinking of attending a Jesuit university?  Aren’t you tired of the Jesuits?  Don’t you want to get out of the box and spread your wings in a different academic atmosphere?” My son didn’t miss a… Read More