be nudged

Lessons from a Pet: 10 Ways of Happy Living

2012-03-06T09:58:00.001-08:00

Miss Maxine Ever since I adopted a dog, many lessons have been learned or resurfaced. She required a lot of attention and medicine due to a broken femur (hit by a car) but as she healed, her personality started to show through. These are 10 ways of happy living by Miss Maxine (aka Maxie): 1. Drink lots of water. 2. Sleep when you're tired. 3. Exercise in the morning. 4. Meet new people

Imperfection: The Catalyst of Our Future

2012-02-28T19:05:00.003-08:00

I am not an audiophile like my husband but I do occasionally pick up an issue of his Stereophile or Audio Advisor to read articles about artists, the industry or other non-technical items I am able to comprehend. There was an article in the March issue of Sterophile that described the slow movement of some recording studios that are actually (GASP!) recording artists for a record together again

Automotive Safety Standards: Truly Comprehensive?

2012-01-31T16:20:00.000-08:00

When I get asked how I met my husband of 10 years, I answer, “It was totally random.” I get a look of surprise because it truly was happenstance. I was walking out of my place of employment to find an event being hosted by the company my husband worked for at the time. A colleague asked me to join the conversation he was

Pets are partners, too

2010-05-31T12:48:00.000-07:00

Dealing with loss of any kind can be pretty traumatic. For me right now, I'm dealing with the loss of one of my beloved cats, Max. I grew up with cats and have lost them before but this loss has been far more painful for me, which is compounded by a few things. One, I picked him and his brother out (more like, they picked me) almost 10 years ago. Two, I learned that they

How you treat Earth is a reflection of you

2010-04-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

The attached blog talks about why one should treat the environment well and the first reason is that it’s a reflection of your personality. Here are some things your behavior could be saying. This is only just to get you thinking.Do you litter? Think recycling is stupid? Stick your gum anywhere but the garbage? These may signify immaturity, rebelliousness and maybe

Managing cooperation

2010-04-19T12:23:00.000-07:00

I’m often asked about the issue of control. I think it’s because there is a point where we as individuals want to be seen as cooperative and courteous but we wrestle with how much is too much. My first instinct on this is one can’t be too cooperative or courteous in life. Just imagine how more pleasant life would be if people were cooperative and courteous a wee bit more often (

Redefining Relationship Roles

2010-04-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

I’m reading a really great book entitled “Committed” by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of “Eat, Pray, Love,” which I still haven’t read. I chose to read her latest book because it deals with her apprehension with getting married a second time. It’s a great read for anyone who wants to be married or is married for the first, second, third or umpteenth time. Many of the lessons she

Are you a social media slut?

2010-03-30T16:06:00.000-07:00

There are references to this online but no real definition of it that I could find. So, this is my attempt to define it, your relationship with social media and help you determine if you’re a social media slut.I was inspired by this because I had read about an article talking about emotional sluts. These are people who basically share far too many intimate details with someone who

Reflection: Time away from home

2010-03-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

Time away from home is always a good thing. Taking some time alone for reflection and daily responsibilities allows you a clear perspective on what is important to you in life. It's a wonderful way to reconnect with your relationship to yourself. I just spent three weeks in Manhattan and thought it would be nice to share my revelations and reminders while I was away from home.1.

The Gift of Great Friends

2010-03-19T12:48:00.000-07:00

Growing up, I always thought a great friend was someone you would be friends with for life but that has not proven to be the case. As I moved, time passed and I evolved, so did other people. Friends have come and gone through the years but one thing remains certain, nothing beats the valuable people who are in my life now. I have friends who I met through work, through other friends

Proper Communication Skills: It Takes Two

2010-03-15T12:24:00.001-07:00

As I’ve gone through life, my marriage and have heard the relationship woes of others I’ve come to the conclusion that many people are not as good at communicating as they think they are. There are a lot of assumptions made by all of us that amass into unnecessary difficulty and stress. Two skills all of us can never perfect but easily improve are active listening and clearly

Obtaining Greatness

2010-03-11T06:47:00.000-08:00

When it comes to your self, do you feel you're as good as it gets or do you believe you can become greater? I am of the mentality that we are truly never as great as we can be but we can increase greatness if we are able to work through all of the things about our self that aren't so great. We know our own strengths and weaknesses, yet often we ignore what is wrong and wonder why

Manifest and Maintain Confidence

2010-03-10T15:21:00.000-08:00

This morning, I did a really great yoga session which focused on building the third chakra. This is associated with building fire and confidence within. For those who are unfamiliar with chakras, this particular one is centered around the stomach so there were a lot of abdominal exercises involved in addition to some fun balancing poses. To say I was sweating would be an

The Positive of Not Missing Something

2010-03-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

People talk about what they miss constantly, but on occasion people will talk about things that they do not miss. When we talk about the things we miss, we’re naturally seeking out a explanation or expressing an emotion. When we talk about what we don’t miss, we’re validating what is true within ourselves which gets us closer to obtaining what it is we want in our own life. I’ve

Applying Chinese Philosophy to the My Relationships with Cities

2010-03-05T13:50:00.000-08:00

I’m from the Midwest so I’m not married to either coast. I could basically live anywhere and kind find the pros and cons in everything. This can be kind of annoying for my family and friends who have watched me hop around the country the past 13 years. To me, it’s fun and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. For those who may not know me well, after college I moved to LA,

The Hierarchy of Proper Communication

2010-03-05T08:48:00.000-08:00

With so many different methods of communicating available to us through technology, it’s easy to always choose what is most convenient. This also can make things more complicated in our lives. It wasn’t that long ago when the telephone, a letter or an in-person conversation were the only means one could get in contact with another person. If you think back a bit further,

How Relationships Change

2010-03-04T05:18:00.000-08:00

Whether dealing with friendships, a romantic relationship or your family one thing is certain, relationships change. Sometimes they change for the better. You find a renewed sense of love within the relationship and that love strengthens it. You may find support from someone when you lease expect it and you may be pleasantly surprised with how much others

Are you “Relationship Ready”?

2010-02-26T10:23:00.000-08:00

There are those who know when they want a relationship and those who don’t but think they do. Those of you who are satisfied being single, enjoying that time to yourself and will readily settle down with the right person when that person comes along you are a to be commended! It takes confidence, self-awareness and honesty to realize when you are truly ready to be in a relationship. &

Up for Debate: Is Porn a Virtual Partner?

2010-02-22T13:52:00.000-08:00

I was reading an article published in the UK about how the ease of access to porn is creating low sex relationships. It mentioned a 40% increase in men who don’t want to have sex with their partners with Internet porn cited as one of the reasons men don’t feel as physically frisky as they used to. I’m assuming the others are high stress and joblessness. One time not too long ago, porn

The Most Meaningful Relationships

2010-02-19T08:26:00.001-08:00

Last week, the New York Times blog posed the question, “What relationship is most meaningful to you?”Many people responded with their friends or family being the most meaningful but there was one person who went further than that and said the most meaningful relationship they have is with themselves. I was happy to see someone was able to point inward in response to this question.When it