I am often amazed at the restorative power of nature. Any metaphorical weight on my shoulders… any stress, confusion, sadness, or anger manages to lift and drift away (sometimes a little, sometimes a lot) when I spend quiet time outside. Whether I am walking, biking, kayaking, or simply sitting, a little time alone in nature…
Category: Hygge
Summertime Hygge: The Perfect Picnic
Hygge. The Danish word may not have an English equivalent, but the concept resonates strongly and wordlessly in my American soul. It’s a brilliant little term; a single word which manages to describe a mood, vibe, mindset, atmosphere, and belief system in just five letters. “Cozy” is a word often used as an English synonym,…
Cat Magic: Demystifying Their Hold Over Humans
My sister called the other day. I could hear my young nephew sniffling in the background. “Aunt Jen? We have a problem here…” I waited patiently on the line for the request for that special, crisis-averting, child-soothing nugget of wisdom she needed. The kind that can only come from an adult who is not the…
Carrot Soup
“Want some carrot soup?” he asks. I look up from my Chromebook and laugh before making a puking sound like a five year old. “You’ll like it,” he confirms, answering his own question in spite of my obnoxious reply and saunters into the kitchen to set to work. I glance out the window from where…
Bored AND Overwhelmed? Declutter Your Life
We are now in the fourth week of social distancing here on Long Island, NY in order to stop the spread of COVID 19. As we’ve been settling into this new reality that will likely continue for weeks and maybe months, my friends and I have begun to experience a new combination of emotions: Boredom…
Walking the Walk
So here I am, back to the blog after a full calendar year, ready to reflect on the wonder of walking wordlessly a while for wellness, without wasting energy worrying about WordPress work (Ha!). I have always loved language. Reading and writing have been passions of mine for as long as I can remember, enabling…
Looking at Mindfulness: Twenty-five Paintings to Change the Way You Live, by Christophe Andre
Looking at Mindfulness: Twenty-five Paintings to Change the Way You Live I love art. We can all appreciate some type of art as it is a reflection of the things that make us human. For myself, as a person with a passion for sketching since I’ve been able to hold a pencil, I have always…
Loving-kindness…
It is February, the month that many associate with hearts, chocolates, sappy cards, bouquets, and other symbols of “love.” When I was a child, February was the month that my dear ol’ dad used to buy my sister and I Whitman’s Samplers for St. Valentine’s Day which we savored. As I got older, February was…
Mindful Thanksgiving Day CHALLENGE
Maleficent in laws, impossible menus, bumper-to-bumper car trips, stress, anxiety, fear… oh my! Sadly, these are the situations and emotions that plague many of us during a holiday that should IDEALLY be marked by gratitude, bonding, serenity, and joy. Mindful living techniques to the rescue! To me, mindful living, being completely, non judgmentally engaged in…
Tiny Teachers and Mindfulness Masters
This past summer, on one of the most picturesque mornings (sunny, dry, and cool), a friend and I went for a hike in Cold Spring Harbor. It was a wonderful, mindful experience. The colors of nature just popped and every hiker and runner we passed was glowing with positive energy. At the highest point of…
The Mindful Librarian 
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