Saturday, December 31, 2016

Is this Us?


Who doesn’t enjoy a quick, convenient meal? Since cooking isn’t my favorite thing to do, I’m not opposed to scooping up a sandwich, pizza or a rotisserie chicken for dinner. Of course, they’re usually less healthy than homemade foods, but that’s the price we pay for convenience. Since everyone likes time-saving strategies, how about trying this:

                                     https://youtu.be/fbl874RrDTk

It’s hard to digest the idea of mixing food and dirty water, but at least no one had to wash a pot or pan, and when dinner is done, everything goes back into the dishwasher. Cooking a meal like that for friends requires a lot of jars, and could produce undesirable flavors if the lids aren’t tight. But then, short-cuts require sacrifices. When life feels overwhelming or too complicated, we resort to questionable quick fixes involving medicines, relationships, and other distractions, which can be recipes for disaster. What better, long-term do solutions do you suggest?


Saturday, December 24, 2016

Outside the Gift Box  


After all the hustle and bustle of the season, it’s time for the most relaxing part—gift wrapping. Let your creativity soar by matching paper and bows, name tags and ribbons, or not. I’ve seen at least one person wrap gifts in newspaper. Once you’ve shelled out the money for gifts, free newspaper or brown paper bags for wrapping gifts fit right into the shopping budget. And for those of us too pooped to wrap, we can always replace wrapping with those amazing, decorated gift bags.



The worse part of wrapping is tackling the awkward, oddly shaped item that reveals itself as soon as the recipient spots it. There’s no way to disguise those gifts. If you’re giving a car this year, don’t bother wrapping it, settle for the traditional, oversized bow. And if you’re wrapping something like this, just do your best:  

                                     https://youtu.be/jm3dm5J5r0A

 On Facebook, someone posted a message that mentioned how every year their Christmas list gets shorter because they want more and more things that money can’t buy. What’s the gift you want for someone that could never be wrapped?     

Saturday, December 17, 2016

All We Want After Christmas

I had planned to get the Christmas tree up early—that didn’t happen. In fact, one week before Christmas and it’s just going up. It doesn't matter because I’m going to enjoy every minute. Few things are as festive as a brightly-lit tree bedazzled with new sparkling ornaments and older hand-made ones to bring out the joy of the season. The question is: why? Why do we decorate trees in our homes anyhow?

The Christmas tree has a bumpy history. At one point people shunned them, but began embracing them after cultural traditions changed. Over time, the type of tree and the decorations varied to reflect our personalities. What does this say about you?

                                        
                                        https://youtu.be/8mNT4AhgnMk
Think about how a decorated Christmas tree in our house makes us feel. After Christmas,
how can you continue feeling that special joy?

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Rectify Now


During this time of the year people tend to live at the ends of the holiday spectrum. They’re either wanting to relish and relive the past or wishing they could erase it. They’re remembering life’s best moments or days they would rather forget. In both cases the past is over, the present is where we live, and the future is a plan in the works, full of dreams to attain. But, if you think we’ll always lack the ability to control time, think again.

                                     https://youtu.be/cv3DXV0Iw2w

 Slowly, scientists inch closer to altering the reality we think we know. Countless movies demonstrate the danger of tinkering with past and how it alters multi-dimensional aspects of the future. Before scientists learn to tackle time travel, we already have the capacity to impact the future. What can you do to begin demolishing today’s fears about your tomorrows?

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Watching Your Back


If I’m sitting at our kitchen table, I try to watch my back and that’s not out of paranoia, but because our cat uses the opportunity to grab my attention with a friendly tap. Sometimes it’s a gentle, one-pawed tap that seems to say, “Hey, I’m here! Remember me?” Other times she uses a forceful, two-pawed push that causes me to think somebody’s not happy. A shoulder tap usually means someone wants something from us. The trick is to decode the request and decide whether we’re willing to respond. What’s the request here?

                                     https://youtu.be/P0-_AH5mxTM

 I discovered other cats give taps, but this video takes pet interaction to new heights. Apparently, it’s a nightly habit—one I would discourage. What’s this creature’s message to its owner anyhow? Who’s been tapping you on the shoulder and what their message to you?