General

I talk a lot. In class, I have always been the student first with her hand up, ready to share. Sometimes I don’t even put my hand up, I am so eager to say something. In non profit committee meetings, I always put my 2 cents in. It feels insightful in the moment, but later I often realize it didn’t move anything forward. On long car rides… suffice it to say I am not one to look out the window at the scenery (unless I can comment on it). Talking to me feels like catharsis, like I will burst if I do not speak. The problem with this is manifold: When I am speaking, or thinking about what I am going to say, I am […]

As I mentioned in my last blog, my sister and I are rotating week by week taking care of my mom after surgery, and before I left for my stint this week Caroline reminded me, “Mom likes to plan her days, so make sure you do that with her. I know you like to plan too, so it works out perfectly”. I do like to plan! Those of you who signed up for my 7 Secrets to Getting Unstuck, know that I love scheduling (secret # 2), which is part of planning. When I am out of town like I am now, it becomes especially important to plan or my nutrition starts to backslide. For some people, their exercise routine goes awry (read: disappears) when […]

Keystone habits are those habits that lead to other good habits. They spark other “chain reactions that help other good habits take hold,” Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit, writes. For example, one of my keystone habits is a morning workout – if I get that in, I am more likely to choose a healthy breakfast. A healthy breakfast helps me be more productive, and since I feel so good about taking care of myself, I eat better throughout the day. I sleep better that night too. Your keystone habit might be making your bed, because it starts your day off well, or eating an apple at 11am because it means you don’t overeat at lunch and feel motivated to go to the […]

I delighted in all the hummingbirds fluttering around my neighbor Marie Claude’s feeder, so a few months ago I bought one for outside our bedroom window. I dutifully bought the white sugar for the “nectar”, filled the feeder with the sugared water at a 4:1 ratio just like the Audubon Center recommends and then eagerly waited for the little ones to gather around, chirping happily. Hummingbirds are amazing. It was lovely to watch them and to hear the hum of their wings as they hovered around my feeder, which I had to refill every 2 weeks. I was thrilled with the wildlife outside our bedroom window. When I next saw Marie Claude, I told her she had inspired me to get a feeder of my […]