Stop! Don’t eat that arm!
I am a bona fide fact fiend. It doesn’t really matter what the fact is about, what category it falls in, the more trivial it is the more I love it. I can’t remember people’s names, I have no recall regarding the Pythagorean Theorem (or anything else vaguely useful), but tell me a bizarre fact and I will never forget it. So when this juicy tidbit came my way you can imagine my delight: Under extreme stress an octopus will eat its own arms. I had to read it twice...
Read MoreCrisis Mode Doesn’t Help Anyone
Many of you are facing crisis right now; health problems, relationship dissolutions, or more commonly, financial crisis. Unfortunately, I have been thinking about crisis management a lot lately. I’ve had a six month hiatus from blogging due to my own crisis-o-rama… my mother, in her seventies, started having health issues for the first time in her life about a year ago. Five doctors, 14 days of hospitalization and a zillion tests later we had our answer-multiple myeloma, a rare...
Read MoreComing out of the chronic illness closet
Are you still in the closet about your illness? Do you go to great lengths to hide your illness from family and friends, coworkers, random people on the street? How does it feel to hide an immutable part of you? Most of us with chronic illness have debated and/or practiced the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy regarding our illness. While it might make sense not to reveal your entire medical history to someone you just met or even your employer, I want you to examine your logic in who you...
Read MoreToo old—BS!
One of the most compelling stories to come out of the 2008 Beijing Olympics was that of swimmer Dara Torres. 41-year-old Torres won two silver medals in swimming, beating out women half her age. Her resilience and persistence are remarkable given that she gave birth only two years prior to the Games. Her experience in prior Games definitely helped her, but it was her unflappable work ethic and belief in herself that made all the difference. Her story serves as an inspiration to millions of...
Read MoreThis is a piece of cake
I just got off of the treadmill and I was clock-watching like it was my life’s calling. I didn’t want to be there. Perhaps I should be on a beach somewhere, lounging or debating which Ben & Jerry’s to tackle next. I struggle with the same issue you do: how to get myself to do what I need to do. You see, I hate exercise just as much or maybe even more than you do. It’s frustrating to motivate yourself to exercise even though know we all know it’s good for our bodies and...
Read MoreThe dangers of meal multi-tasking
This morning I woke up woefully late. In an attempt to save time I began wolfing down oatmeal while simultaneously trying to dry my hair. This resulted in me choking on my oatmeal. Not only highly unpleasant, but since I was alone in my hotel room when I began choking my immediate thought was, “Oh my God, I am going to die alone, half-naked and malnourished.” This horrific story illustrates a great point– the more you try to do at one time, the more likely things are to go...
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