31Jan 2012 by CJ

The #1 Motivation to Lose Weight – look at old pictures

Life & Living, Youth
You can try all the dieting fads you want. But the best way to motivate yourself to lose weight is to break out the old photo albums for a trip down memory lane. At a recent family dinner, while thumbing through a few random images from the past, I got quite the reality check.  It’s been almost 11 years since my wife and I got married and I couldn’t believe what I looked like at my engagement party. Not to toot my own horn, but I looked pretty damn good. I was thin and well dressed, my hair seemed to fall perfectly into place and my skin looked, well, young! I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. If not for the evidence in my hand, I’m not so sure I’d…
Read More
23Jan 2012 by CJ

Drivers are more plentiful than ever and the experience has changed

Life & Living, Youth
"The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above average drivers."Dave Barry, Things That It Took Me 50 Years to Learn This morning my wife and I commuted to work together, while our other car was being serviced. On the rare occasion when this happens, we usually share the driving responsibilities - her taking the morning drivers commute and me relegated to the evening shift. We're all about balance in my household. While sitting in the passenger's seat, I came to the realization that being carted around from point A to point B is not a bad way to go through life. There I sat in utter relaxation -…
Read More
17Jan 2012 by CJ

Friendships lasting over 50 years must be doing something right

Life & Living, Love & Relationships, Youth
Every relationship evolves - riding up and down on an endless roller coaster through life. For friendships however, the bonds that once united you don't always keep you together. Elisabeth Foley once said, "The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart." Elisabeth Foley As many of us grow and mature, so do the relationships we once had. Our lives take us in different directions with new interests and discoveries - never diminishing the time we once spent together, but certainly changing the dynamics. But that doesn't happen to everyone I'm happy to say. My mother-in-law and her friend Mary have known each other since they were teenagers. It's a friendship that's lasted over 50 years, surviving times of struggle and times of joy.…
Read More
09Jan 2012 by CJ

Reasons we all should learn to rejoice at the opportunity to just grow old

Life & Living, Youth
Here's a lesson for all those vain people out there who are afraid to grow old. The mantle clock struck midnight and I was still awake on the couch – my wife snuggled up in a blanket next to me, sound asleep. No doubt a late night cup of coffee and a small piece of leftover chocolate cake was sure to be the culprit for my wide eyes. So I decided to channel surf until my eyes eventually grew tired of flicking through the hundreds of channels supplied by my cable provider. After I’d gone through almost every channel available, I landed on a program I wouldn’t normally watch. It was a medical documentary about children who were battling cancer. As I’m sure many of you can understand, the distressing…
Read More
18Dec 2011 by CJ

Writing a grown-up letter to Santa

Life & Living, Youth
Dear Santa, I’m not sure if you remember me - it’s been about 30 years since I last addressed a letter to you. I’m sorry I haven’t written sooner but after my sister broke the news to me about your fictitious existence, I didn’t really see the need to waste the postage any longer. Though admittedly, I’ve come to wonder if she was really right at all. My family recently made the trip into New York City to visit the tree at Rockefeller Center, the famous department store windows all adorned with holiday décor and the majestic St. Patrick’s Cathedral. While meandering through the city on a chilly December’s day, a few light snow flurries danced around our heads making it almost impossible not to be in the holiday spirit.…
Read More