Category: Joy
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Wisdom from Sally Ride
Sally Ride, who died on July 23, 2012, was this country’s first woman in space. She also started a foundation to promote science education and to encourage young women to study science. “All adventures, especially into new territory, are scary,” she once said. I read this quote in the August 6, 2012, issue of People…
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Ready to make a change?
If you want to change jobs or change a habit, first take time for precontemplation and contemplation. That’s the lesson I learned recently during a presentation about James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente’s Trans-theoretical Theory of Behavior Change. Prochaska and DiClemente outline five steps to making changes. Precontemplation—which involves becoming aware that you need to make…
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Another year, another birthday
My birthday is approaching. “I can’t believe I’m this old,” I told my husband the other day. However, every time I start to feel a bit depressed about the inevitable, I remember my wise friend Jane, who was my roommate the summer I worked in Boston. It seems amusing now, but back then I was…
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Why do people love you?
When Eleanor Roosevelt died, the United Nations held a memorial service, and representatives from 110 countries stood for a minute of silent tribute. The New York Times pronounced this remarkable woman “one of the great ladies in the history of the country.” However, Roosevelt, the only daughter of an alcoholic father and a beautiful, aloof…
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What would Batman eat?
Ask a group of children. That’s what the researchers at the Cornell Food and Brand Lab did. Before they took a group of children to a fast-food restaurant, they asked half of them, “What would Batman eat?” Then, when they arrived at the restaurant, they let the children choose between a snack of French fries…
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Tired and stressed?
By now the fact that an article in The Atlantic titled “Why Women Still Can’t Have it All,” brought more online response than any other article in the magazine’s history is, well, history—or herstory. But the response is solid evidence that the topic still is important and relevant to many women. My children are both…
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A successful weight-loss program
Dr. David Grossman, a member of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, lists five factors in a successful weight-loss program in an article in the Dallas Morning News, June 26, 2012. This doctor’s approach sounds sensible to us: * Make realistic weight-loss goals. Losing just 5 percent of your initial weight can significantly improve your…
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What kind of supporting actress are you?
I couldn’t resist buying the little book with a bright yellow cover—The Power of Nice—How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval. It wasn’t a very nice reaction, but I immediately thought of a number of people who might learn something from reading The Power of Nice. I…
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The joy of aging
I just finished reading a fascinating book by Dr. George Vaillant, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. It’s titled Aging Well—Surprising Guideposts to a Happier Life from the Landmark Harvard Study of Adult Development. Of course, even though I now have two children who are college graduates and I was well past my…
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Tarantulas for dinner?
I learned this on a trip to Tulsa while reading Spirit, the Southwest Airline magazine. More than 2.5 billion people around the world eat insects every day. In Cambodia, tarantulas are fried whole, with a little sugar, salt and garlic. And, a tarantula has 18 more grams of protein than a strip steak. Yes, I…