Tidings of Discomfort and Joy
The message of “happy holidays” is everywhere right now. It’s the go-to greeting for at least another week, and even when we’re not saying it to each other, we’re all still thinking it as we’re bombarded with images of happy families, mountains of gifts, sumptuous meals, and snowy adventures. But are the holidays really as happy as they’re depicted? The answer as we all know is that holidays can be… complicated.
Leftovers: keep it, toss it, or make something new?
Leftovers are a very polarizing thing. And I don’t just mean cold pizza. We all maintain endless artifacts from childhood. Consider the topics of exercise, cooking, pets, communication styles — chances are high that the ways you approach these things are direct results of behaviors you saw and values you learned growing up.
Confessions of a Dorky Violinist
We have all had pivotal moments in our lives — moments (or experiences) after which we gained a new perspective that had a powerful impact on us going forward. For me, one of these was at the age of 14 when I joined our local public high school orchestra on a trip to Germany and Austria to compete in an international music competition.
Loaded
Loaded. This word has several meanings. It can convey a weight or bias on a particular outcome. It is also a term we use to describe someone who has consumed drugs or alcohol in excess. And more commonly, it is used to describe a gun with ammunition, ready to fire. The word can feel visceral and threatening in some way.