Author: resolutewoman
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Panic and hysteria
Lionel Shriver, author of a new book Big Brother, says that most of us are neurotic about food. I will confess. I am neurotic about food even though I lost a lot of weight following the Weight Watchers plan and I have kept it off. And, I think that Shriver might be neurotic about food,…
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Concentrate on your strengths
Temple Grandin, professor of animal science at Colorado State University and the author of a new book The Autistic Brain—Thinking Across the Spectrum, is autistic. Of course, she isn’t the typical autistic person. That’s one point she makes in her book. There is no typical autistic person. Some people on the autistic spectrum are nonverbal,…
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Younger than Ming
Age is relative. As Fayteen and I approach our summer birthdays, we are pleased to report that we are much younger than Ming, the longest-lived animal. According to a October 29, 2007, report in National Geographic News, researchers at Bangor University in the United Kingdom counted 405 annual growth rings in the shell of this…
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The pursuit of happiness
When Thomas Jefferson and his colleagues signed the Declaration of Independence and declared that we have a fundamental right to “the pursuit of happiness,” they were not thinking about “yellow smiley faces, self-esteem or even feelings,” says Jon Meacham, writing in the July 8-15 issue of Time magazine. Instead, they were thinking about the “good…
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Brave and determined
Our Founding Fathers were brave, determined, frightened men making it up as they went along, says Joseph J. Ellis, author of Revolutionary Summer. I heard Ellis speak recently at Arts & Letters Live in Dallas. “None of these men was perfect,” Ellis told the audience. But, there was a great crisis, and they responded to…
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Neurotic about food
If you’ve ever been on a diet, ever berated yourself for gaining a few pounds, ever judged someone who is overweight as unhealthy or undisciplined, I recommend that you read Lionel Shriver’s new book Big Brother. I heard Shriver discuss her book on June 12, 2013, on the Diane Rehm Show on National Public Radio,…
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Chocolate isn’t the only cure
Tom, my husband’s brother and one of my favorite relatives, is in the hospital with serious medical issues. For days now, I’ve been worried, and I’ve been surrounded by a sense of foreboding. On more than one occasion, I’ve wondered if chocolate might make me feel better. Of course, it might make me feel better…
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Visualize the positive
About 77 percent of the average person’s self-talk is negative, says David Allen, author of Getting Things Done. I heard Allen recently in an interview on National Public Radio. “If you can visualize a horrible outcome, you can visualize a positive outcome, too,” Allen suggests. The next time you have to give a speech in…
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Beyond the Possible
You’ve probably never heard of Cecil Williams and his wife Janice Mirikitani. I hadn’t until my friend Kerry gave me their book Beyond the Possible. Williams, one of five black students who integrated Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas during the 1950s, became the pastor at Glide Memorial Methodist Church in…
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The physics of clutter
I have started anew attacking the clutter that has accumulated in our house. I’m inspired by Stacey Platt, author of a book called What’s a Disorganized Person to Do?. Platt lives in a 500-square-foot New York City apartment that forces her “to simplify and let go: two endeavors that make life easier, less stressful and…