I recently finished the New York Times bestselling memoir, Educated, by Tara Westover. It is a book club’s dream title, as there are multiple themes and topics for discussion. The author delves deeply into family relations, mental illness, women’s roles, off-grid living, holistic medicine, and more. Like any good book, it made me think… A…
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,…
Progressing Mindfully: Going the Extra Mile
I love to walk in the morning. There is nothing more invigorating than a burst of fresh outdoor air to oxygenate the brain. Add the surge in adrenaline and endorphins (and with luck, a nice sunrise), and I am ready to take on the day. Usually, time permitting, I complete one or two miles. It’s…
Lucky or Unlucky? Decide for Yourself
Feeling lucky today? If so, why? If not, why? Believe it or not, your current situation or circumstances don’t matter. It is your perception that determines whether or not you are fortunate, charmed, blessed, or indeed lucky. This idea became crystal clear to me the other day when a seemingly unfortunate experience left me counting…
Writing as Magic, Pen as Wand: Unlocking the Gift
I just love language… Hey, it’s the thing that enabled our species to outlive the Neanderthals! Instead of gesturing toward a hill and frantically shouting, “Ugh!” We could point and communicate, “Hey guys! Over that hill are a bunch of great animals we can hunt and eat. Grab your weapons! And look out for the…
Raising Lifelong Learners: Fostering a Thirst for Knowledge Outside of School
“Lifelong Learner.” It has a nice ring to it, no? (I’ve always been a big fan of alliteration.) It is one of my favorite educational catch phrases, and one I admit to attaching to many of my own professional bios over the years. It implies an unending curiosity and ability to absorb information. The defining…
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…
Uncomfortable Truths Revealed In Isolation
I am grateful for social distancing. This may sound obnoxious, considering the reason for this “new normal” is a wildly contagious illness. Not an inch of our spinning sphere has not been impacted. There are clearly those who have suffered and/or perished after contracting the disease. There are the family and friends knocked down by…
Riding Out the Storm
“We are all in the same boat.” Hmm…. Sounds like such a wise and profound analogy for the COVID-19 “experience,” and even for life in general. As human beings, we are all born, live, and die. No one is immune and our common experience (in this case, some type of suffering) unites us all. An…
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…
The Mindful Librarian 
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