7 Reasons to #optoutside
Next to unplugging, one of my favorite things to talk about is spending time outside. In fact, I believe the combination of unplugging AND spending time outside may be the answer to many of life’s ills. I know that combination works for me. A few years ago REI started their #optoutside initiative: Last year we…
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Being Boss
“You have to build a life you love as if it’s your job. Because it is.” Kathleen Shannon & Emily Thompson, Being Boss When I was four years old, my pre-kindergarten teacher wrote on my report card that I was “bossy.” I didn’t see that comment until many years later – as an adult –…
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My 24 Hours Unplugged
It was fitting that I finished reading The Village Effect: How Face-to-Face Contact Can Make Us Healthier and Happier(Susan Pinker) just a day before participating in the National Day of Unplugging, a day when thousands of people commit to going 24 hours without their phones. After reading Pinker’s book, I had a heightened awareness of…
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What did you love when you were 13? Rediscovering Your “Authentic” Self
For my thirteenth birthday, I received a Canon AE-1 camera. And while I’ve long-since moved on to a digital SLR, I still maintain my adolescent love for photography (and my daughter is still enjoying using that dependable AE-1 to take “artsy” film photos). What do I enjoy so much about photography? • I like composing…
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Book Review: Switch on Your Brain: The Key to Peak Happiness, Thinking and Health
This is a guest post from Leslie Seidner, a writer who researches and writes about positive psychology, anxiety, and brain health. She also happens to be my sister and favorite person to talk about books with! I have been stressing about the effect that stress is having on my brain, which I realize is wholly…
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The Four Tendencies: An Obliger’s Story
I’ve been enjoying Gretchen Rubin’s books since my oldest daughter (also named Gretchen) gave me The Happiness Project (Revised Edition): Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun several years ago. I listen to Rubin’s podcast (Happier) and subscribe to…
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Learning To Put My Own Oxygen Mask On First
Last week I did something unheard of during my first 32 years as a camp director. I took a full day off during the very first week of camp. On my day off, I did several things that “refueled” me: I took a long hike by myself. I took some long, deep breaths. I finished…
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Good Things Come to Those Who Breathe
My 2016 ended with a bang – two trips to the ER on New Year’s Eve. My son needed a cast for a small buckle fracture in his arm from a snowboard crash (see Exhibit A), and we had a health scare with my dad that ended up being nothing serious. And that crazy evening…
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“SASHET”: A Connection Tool
I just returned from my favorite annual camp conference. Spending time with this group of camp owners and directors refocuses me and helps me get motivated for another summer of camp. These are the only people in the world who understand what I do “the rest of the year” and face the same challenges of balancing…
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Feeling Thankful
Today is Day 31 (the final day!) of my Happiness Hacks series. Oh my goodness. I did it! I actually wrote and posted a happiness hack every single day this month. Hooray! For those of you who joined me on this journey, thank you for coming along. I appreciate you taking time from your busy…
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Reading Binge
Today is Day 30 of my Happiness Hacks series. Few things make me happier than some uninterrupted reading time, and an inspirational book makes for an especially amazing reading binge. While there was quite a bit of background noise (TV, people talking, rain falling hard outside) this weekend at our get-away, I was able to block…
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Quick Get-Away
Today is Day 29 of my Happiness Hacks series. Faced with an open Saturday (a miracle of sorts for our family), we decided at the last minute (as in, yesterday) to make a quick get-away trip to our local mountains. When we’re home, we tend to keep ourselves constantly busy with work and chores. There’s…
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