The nature of summer is that it makes us richer in what matters. One reason I know this is that I got to dance outdoors last night in the Columbia Gorge. The warm air held my body like a lover. I was swooning, I was so relaxed. Only in summer can this sensation happen, at least here in the ...
The record-breaking cold in much of the U.S. reminds me that we're all vulnerable to extreme weather and disasters, and need to be prepared for them. Climate change means more of everything: drought, destructive hurricanes, heat, cold and floods. It's broader than just global warming. It’s our internal resources -- our attitude and coping skills – that ...
What if real life scenarios could provide compelling entertainment? Stories that you and I could inhabit? Movies without exploding helicopters, not set in millionaire mansions, about people who neither commit nor solve spectacular crimes? These five movies I love are about people with lots of heart, and without lots of money. They face hard things, and ...
What does fun on a Friday night look like for you? Fun can have a lot of different faces. Here is what it looked like for me and my husband Thor most recently. Guest with weathered face and some missing teeth: "Say, what are you folks serving us tonight?" Me: "Spaghetti with meatballs, salad and bread." Guest: "Sounds good!" Me: ...
Our relationships with others are central to our happiness, much more central than wealth or possessions. A large body of research has proven this (see this post on the peak of happiness in the U.S.), and it is foundational to the diamond-cut life I've been chasing and writing about since 2007. My husband and I ...
Happy autumn equinox! The equinox actually falls two days from now on Saturday, but since I post on Thursdays and Sundays, here a few ideas now on how to celebrate the autumn equinox. This post also sparks further ideas. What is your favorite source of entertainment? Is it watching TV, (more…)
Bright, sunny skies today in Montreal, Canada, where I’m enjoying a car-free* vacation with my husband Thor. We chose Montreal partly because it has the luxury of a good transit system. In rural areas and small towns, which I also love to visit, cars (more…)
Autumn in La Grande, Oregon In Part I of Small Towns Rock, I described how I feel I'm straddling the urban-rural divide since I live in Portland, Oregon, but steadily travel for my work into its small towns and rural areas. I love all these places -- but wish they loved each other more. In particular, ...
We all like good entertainment. I had furlough yesterday (an unpaid day off), and went to see The Hunger Games. My report? From a mainstream perspective, it’s a ‘good’ movie. It has a compelling storyline, credible, sympathetic characters and strong production values. It’s riveting; once you start watching it, you’ve simply got to know how it ...
"Um, excuse me, do you have any extra concert tickets?" "No, sorry." The young family clearly wished they could help. "That's OK. Hi there, do you have any extra tickets?" Before you judge me and my friend Colleen for panhandling for Big Bad Voodoo Daddy tickets outside the Oregon Zoo here in Portland this afternoon, I want ...
Welcome. I write about how to be rich in what matters -- relationships, health and vitality, work we love, connection to nature, spirituality and yes, financial health too. Treading lightly on the earth is woven throughout. Please read and prosper. Read more →
