Okay, not only is it cold outside, but it is dark when we wake up and getting dark when we get out of work. Not exactly the most conducive atmosphere for running. I use the stair-stepper downstairs, but sometimes I get busy and decide that tomorrow will do just as well. Then ANOTHER new study comes out showing the importance of exercise. Not that I didn’t already know the benefits of exercise for decreasing stress levels and improving all sorts of physical health measurements. But now telomeres are involved. What is a telomere? You might remember that just last year,…

I start each New Year declaring that this will be the non-stress year. I will sign up for those wonderful yoga classes held at my community center and channel the Dalai Lama for all that I’m worth. And then January arrives and I’m busy with new projects . . . exciting ones, but stressful nonetheless. And with February comes the old annual dreads, namely tax season. It’s not paying them that gets me so tied up – it’s all the preparation that puts my stomach in a knot. And rather than decreasing, my stress has managed to mutate and spawn…

I am so moved. 14-year-old Hannah Salwen has convinced her parents to sell their house and give half of the profit to charity. I don’t want to spoil the story, but I’ll tell you that they embarked on a journey that transported them across the globe and tested their comfort zone. See what you think. Here’s a very short, compelling video about it. And then on Sunday Morning, this past weekend, there was a segment about this family and a follow-up conversation with two experts who talked about the idea of giving in general. One said, “Give till it hurts”…

Just last weekend I came across a news release: “Pope Benedict XVI has a new commandment for priests struggling to get their message across: Go forth and blog.” At first I was surprised, but then I thought: Why not? They have a message. And so do you. One of the most effective ways of influencing a community is by writing a regular, or even irregular blog. It’s easier and less time-consuming than you’d think. And it’s something that every practitioner should consider doing. I’d thought about writing one for years before getting started last year. What stopped me? Well, fear….