MAKING FRIENDS AS AN ADULT   You Can’t Make Old Friends .  This is the title of a duet with Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers .   Even if you are not a fan of country music, the sentiments imparted by the lyrics speak to a universal truth for all of us; friendships take time and energy to grow.  It is important to

The Vegan Diet:  A Modern Fad or a Logical Path Forward? At this moment in history, many of us are fortunate enough to be able to shift our focus away from mere survival, towards how to best manage our resources to sustain ourselves and the planet.  It is at this crossroad of survival and sustainability that we often find ourselves facing a dietary divide; a philosophical

Thinking of Going Vegan? If you are on the fence about going vegan, or even just peeking over the fence, wondering what all the noise is about, I can share with you some key understandings I have accumulated, after about twenty years of consciously excluding animal products from my life.  There is no one path to follow, and mine certainly is not “the way” to the

. Losing Weight Is Just the Start “So, essentially, those hundred plus pounds have underscored everything.  Even though I no longer carry them physically, they showed me how much I can carry emotionally. “   Do you need to tackle a weight loss of over a hundred pounds?  The statistics related to losing weight and maintaining the loss long-term are grim.  I am not sure of

A Vegan Yogurt Quandary I love GT’s plain coconut yogurt, and I usually stock up at the co-op, about 30 minutes away. But, since grocery-getting routines have been a  bit different during pandemic life, I decided to play around with making my own healthy yogurt, using the Instant Pot.  Since I don’t have access to any fresh, raw coconuts, I decided to try cashew.  I probably

Do You Want to Make Kombucha? If you are a bit of a health-conscious person, or have ever perused the natural foods section of your local grocery store, it is likely you have come across kombucha before.  Maybe you have gone as far as even trying some!  Next, intrigued by the product, you may have stumbled down the Google rabbit hole of information on the pros

Who Doesn’t Love a Good Challenge? In 2009, at thirty-six years old and a little over four years into my “health journey,” I guess I was primed for a challenge.  I had already released over 100 pounds and maintained good habits for quite a few years. My “good habits” consisted of eating a fairly balanced vegan diet, being mindful of calories and not overeating, and getting

Why a Wellness Wheel? If you have ever seen a wellness professional, or delved into the process of finding balance in your life, you probably have experience with some variation of the Wheel of Wellness, Wellness Wheel, or Wheel of Life exercise.  Many personal development exercises have crossed my path at various times in my life, but it was not until I began my graduate studies,

A Marriage Story in Chapters Since mid-life is often a time when we feel the need take stock of our lives, it seems our 25th, or “silver,” anniversary is the perfect catalyst for some reflection on our marriage story; the timeline of events and subsequent emotions that tie it all together. The meanderings herein are my way of processing and organizing my feelings about marriage and

TIME FOR A NEW MATTRESS? When the hand-me-down mattress you inherited from your parents starts to sag where it shouldn’t, or you roll into your empty-nest years, realizing that the bed that survived your kids’ childhood is leaving you with kinks in your neck and likely contributing to your ongoing sleep deficit, it might be time to start saving for a new mattress!  Depending on your

The Story of Itchy Joe & The Eczema Monster I thought our story might be worth revisiting for any parents that are struggling with childhood eczema (atopic dermatitis) and the challenges it presents.   These insights about living with and managing this skin condition  came about as a result of our experiences with our son, Joe. I hope by sharing our story, it will let other parents,