Did you know that ⅓ of U.S. adults take DAILY naps? And that men are more fond of naps than women typically (Mayo Clinic, 2020)? There are several benefits to taking a nap. This can include using them as a way to relax, reduce fatigue (of course), improve mood, and increase alertness.

This routine created an unhealthy balance in my life. I worked and worked and worked. And then just stopped. Sleep and repeat. Day after day. I didn’t make time for any play. Nothing fun. No hobbies. No unscheduled shenanigans. I may have felt like I was getting enough rest because I was getting a good amount of sleep, but I was still very much off balance. 

“It helped.” No one else said anything until Damien brought up the football game from the other night. They played until Parker’s dad opened the front door and yelled that it was time for dinner. That night in bed Marcos couldn’t stop thinking about what Parker had said, that it had helped. Could it really help him too?

I had a goal, but day after day, I couldn't seem to get to it. But don't worry. I'll get to it tomorrow. Today was just a busy day. I want to run, so that's a start. I feel motivated, but I just can't do mornings. I'm not wired that way. 

You see, I am a mom of three young kids. And in every single room, there seems to be evidence of this fact.. So in order to rest indoors, it would most likely have to be with my eyes closed, or at least with a book in my face, as otherwise I am viewing a kid-sized disaster from every corner of our home.

Despite my complete inability to play, I really enjoyed learning, and it became one of my all-time favorite hobbies. But playing (kind of) guitar was something I fell into for all the wrong reasons. So how do you choose a hobby that is perfect for you? 

I recently discovered something that I knew all along. I know what you’re thinking. That doesn’t make any sense. Let me explain. Have you ever believed something that you weren’t entirely sure was accurate until someone much more intelligent than you verified for you what you already thought to be the case? 

I didn’t have good managers in a few of these jobs. This instilled a hesitancy or fear to go to my supervisors in future jobs when I needed something. I am fearful of having another bad manager now. One of my jobs was so stressful that I dreaded going to work every day.

I knew it! Social media is not reality. But wait, we already knew that. But then why do we so needlessly get sucked into believing people are posting accurate representations of their lives? We tell ourselves that what we are seeing is not reality, but there is still this tiny voice in the back of our minds trying to convince us otherwise. And then we go and listen to it. 

Why? 

Or maybe we get so busy that we forget to include any time or space for curiosity, literally elbowing it out of our productive lives. Without evening noticing it, our eyes lose their sparkle and we walk right past things that would have intrigued us once upon a time.

In the past, knowing how to play an instrument was a sign of belonging to a certain level of society and was one of the main forms of entertainment and leisure. Now, music is available to anyone who has the determination to learn it.

I remember being in a particular relationship where I refused to cry. I thought crying showed weakness, and I couldn’t be weak. So, when I would start to feel emotional, I would leave. Obviously, this wasn’t a healthy way to express myself.

it appear like gold although it isn’t. Hence the name. I didn’t know it at the time, but there was a valuable lesson waiting to be learned while we scanned that gravel path during recess and it had nothing to do with minerals. Unfortunately, friends can come in the fool's gold variety too.

There’s a strange and rarely spoken of dynamic in our culture that often questions the validity of mixed gender relationships. As one journalist put it, it’s as if, “they cast us as romantic time bombs, rather than people who simply care about each other and enjoy spending time together” (Gerson, 2020).

Several years ago, in my days as a teacher, a group of students bought me some Legos for my birthday. But these were not just any old Legos. This was Marvel’s Helicarrier from the Avengers movie--one of my favorites. I’m talking 3000 pieces of Lego bliss, more than 100 pages of instructions, and easily a few hundred dollars to purchase. I know what you’re thinking. My students are outstanding. And you would be right. 

Now let’s go a bit deeper. What is it about the food that brings you nostalgia or happiness? I often associate ice cream with summer, which is my favorite season. Some of my best memories have come from summer. I think of being on the beach, going to the fair, and hanging at the pool with friends.

Love yourself. I'd heard the advice, but it never sank in. The people who screamed the message seemed self-centered and arrogant, and I didn’t want to be like them. But making everything about you is not what self-love is about. Not at all.

The lesson was difficult. There are many circumstances in life that we can and should change. But sometimes, as much as we want a different outcome, what we have is what we get. It may be a diagnosis, a loss, a death, or some other circumstance that cannot be altered. At that point, life is what we make of it. And what do we make?

What if for the next 40 days I played the game myself? What if I specifically made sure to notice that the banker’s eyes were hazel as a way of paying greater attention to those around me? If nothing else, it certainly sounded better than giving up sugar!

With her desk in mind, I pondered organization. I tended to clean sporadically, but the mess returned within hours. Could a person really truly keep their space tidy, day in and day out? The more I toyed with that idea and tried it now and then, the more I became convinced: A clean area inspires creativity, instills confidence, and improves quality of work.