I talk a lot about taking a newsbreak in my Sunday columns, and I find that when I stick to avoiding the news, it makes a tremendous difference in both my mental and physical well being. When I went away last weekend, I didn’t check my phone except for texts from Allegra’s cat sitter, and the difference in how I felt was remarkable.Continue Reading
Sunday Purrs
Sunday Quotes: Relax and Recharge
Sunday Quotes: Frustration and Happiness
Lately, I’ve been feeling frustrated a lot more frequently than I like to be, and it’s all because of the seemingly never ending pandemic. I’m frustrated that so many people seem to care so little about how their actions affect everyone else. I’m frustrated with people who refuse to get vaccinated, refuse to wear masks, or worse, deny that Covid is real. I’m frustrated that if it wasn’t for that, we could be so much further along in being done with this virus that has turned all our lives upside down for the past 17 months and counting. Continue Reading
Sunday Cat Love and Above: Small Celebrations Create Big Wins
Guest post by Siena-Lee-Tajiri
I’m a perpetual planner. I just am. It’s about this time of year, late July, that I start thinking, “OMG. It’s almost Christmas!” My partner just smiles at me now vs. trying to argue on behalf of the six months we’ve still yet to experience, because this is an annual exclamation I make. Eventually, Christmas comes and then it’s over, and just like that, I’m left with the post holiday blues. Then every year, I tell myself that I’m going to keep the Christmas spirit with me all through the year.Continue Reading
Sunday Quotes: Meditation
A regular meditation practice is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. I can’t imagine not starting my day with a brief meditation anymore than I can imagine not starting it with a cup of coffee.Continue Reading
Sunday Quotes: Compassion and Tolerance
Sunday Quotes: Discomfort
Feeling discomfort is part of life. Sometimes, you’re just going to feel out of sorts, weighed down, or just physically or emotionally “off.” Our inclination usually is to try anything and everything to get rid of discomfort. We either try to avoid uncomfortable situation, or we use food, drinks or medication to get rid of it.Continue Reading
Sunday Cat Love and Above: What a Feral Cat Taught Me About Connecting With People
Guest post by Siena Lee-Tajiri
I met Fred in 2012. He had a giant striped face, matted fur, and was as thin as a rail. He sat at the bottom of the front porch stairs but quickly darted under the orange tree when I came out. Continue Reading
Sunday Quotes: Priorities
As I’ve been re-emerging into post-pandemic live, I’ve been thinking a lot about priorities. Rather than just returning to normal, I am determined to make conscious choices about how I spend my time and who I spend it with. If nothing else, this past year has been a glaring reminder of just how short life can be, and how precious the time we’re given really is.
Has the past year changed how you think about your priorities?
Sunday Quotes: Reunion
For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been on what I call my post-pandemic reunion tour, meeting friends I hadn’t seen in over a year for lunches and dinners at favorite restaurants. And it was glorious.Continue Reading
Sunday Cat Love and Above: Cats Are Co-Pilots to Self-Love
Guest post by Siena Lee-Tajiri
Last month we reinforced how we already know how to love as evident through how we care for our beloved cats. We also touched on how our cats can serve as secure role models for love. Today I’m going to shed some light on why self-love is so hard, and how our amazing cats can help us turn more of our love towards ourselves.Continue Reading