Category: Life & Living

"The way to develop the habit of savoring is to pause when something is beautiful and good and catches our attention - the sound of rain, the look of the night sky - the glow in a child's eyes, or when we witness some kindness. Pause... then totally immerse in the experience of savoring it." (Tara Brach) Of late, aging, societal discords, and life's continual and unavoidable complications have rendered me incredibly nostalgic for a time when struggles seemed a bit easier and moments more joyful.  This world I now find myself reminiscing over has long been extinct. However, settings that provided comfort and security and individuals whose worth and kindness were immeasurable are still very much alive in my heart and mind. These memories are so easily recollected with…

I recently read an article on CNBC.com in which an associate professor at Columbia University recommended never using this common phrase in personal or professional conversations—"it is what it is." John McWhorter, who is also an author and linguist, says, "People say it when, really, what they mean is, I don't care." Speaking to Bill Gates on his popular podcast "Unconfuse Me," McWhorter said, "The first time someone said that to me was when something unpleasant had happened to me, and he didn't care. And he said, 'Well, it is what it is,'" McWhorter said. "And I parsed it and I thought, 'What a gorgeously chilly way of saying: Your problems don't matter to me.'" While I certainly can understand why McWhorter believes that saying "it is what it is" simply means someone doesn't…

Among other things, our brains operate as the hard drives of our bodies - harnessing data, experiences, and moments in time that are available for searching, sharing, and remembering whenever the need arises. For many of us, accessing joyful memories is often ignited through our sense of sight, as photographs and videos often transport our present day back to another place and time. But researchers are discovering that smells trigger memories more effectively than other senses. From Discovery.com:  When you see, hear, touch, or taste something, that sensory information first heads to the thalamus, which acts as your brain's relay station. The thalamus then sends that information to the relevant brain areas, including the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory, and the amygdala, which does the emotional processing. But with…