My birthday (the big 4-0!) has added an extra patina of sentimentality and reflection to this holiday. In honor of this milestone—punctuated by finally unlocking the “author” achievement—I’ve assembled my own 12 days of Christmas* Thankfulness. Day 1: Cathy Taylor Day 2: Sue LaGow Day 3: Ryan Hylland Day 4: Jackie Phillips Day 5: Szaba and … More 12 Days of Christmas Thankfulness: Day 11
“Follow your bliss.” It’s a saying coined by one of the most intuitive minds of the twentieth century, Joseph Campbell. If you haven’t heard of my friend Joseph, you need to go watch The Power of Myth. Right. Now. Okay, fine. Maybe you don’t have time (cough cough MAKE TIME), so let me provide you with … More Follow Your Bliss
Did you know the brain “geotags” memories based on location? When you encounter a familiar place, according to a recent study, “It opens up these memory boxes and triggers a flood of old memories in vivid Technicolor, like they happened yesterday.” In other words, memory and place are intricately linked, on a biological level.
I recently came across an idea-packed article on creativity rituals, which included everything from naps to bar brainstorming to frequent vacations (yes yes and yes!). They also mentioned something called an “interesting people fund,” the idea of which was taken from an interview with entrepreneur and author Ben Casnocha: By pre-committing time and money to meeting interesting … More Interesting Person Fund
My first introduction to Homaro Cantu was via the Discovery Channel’s “Future Food” TV series on Planet Green. That’s also when I first learned about the miracle berry and its ability to temporarily fool your taste buds into thinking sour and bitter foods taste sweet. My friend Geraldine wrote about her miracle taste adventure over on … More Inspiring Minds: Homaro Cantu
You probably know that Seattle is a coffee town. But you might not know that hordes of nomadic workers use its cozy, caffeinated haunts as offices. Whether you’re a fellow Seattle freelancer (like me), a local looking for a good place to read the day away, or just someone daydreaming about Seattle coffee culture, this Top 10 list … More Top 10: Seattle Places to “Work from Home”
Yep, you heard me right. Criticism is awesome. It may go against our very nature and need for acceptance, but “attaboys” don’t really get us anywhere. If anything, they give us a false sense of security and a tendency to relax and let things happen as they will. Great things don’t happen as they will. Have … More Criticism Is Awesome
Every once in a while, you’ve just got to give a shout out to the people who are doing it right. The people who really get it, and just by being themselves, teach you something by osmosis. These four bloggers have done that for me. Hats off to you all, and thank you. And if … More 4 Life Lessons From My 4 Favorite Bloggers
For my daughter’s first Halloween, Sue set the bar very high with Amelia Earhart. Once the torch was handed to me, I continued the theme of Inspiring Women in History costumes. In 2011 there was Marie Curie, and the next year we finished the trio with Elizabeth Cady Stanton. (Appropriately enough, it was an election year. … More Strong Females in Literature Costumes: Carmen
Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was obsessed with unicorns. She wanted to wear unicorn clothes. She wanted to color unicorn pictures. She wanted to make up unicorn stories. She want to play unicorn games. She wanted to BE a unicorn. And through the magic of some leftover craft supplies and … More Making Unicorns
My Castle Heart Publications 