“I’m sorry, I’m late I slept in today,” is how my friend Cathy greeted me, and it was one of the best things I’d heard that day. Cathy is a well-planned, uber-organized, high-level corporate assistant. The arrival of this pandemic has increased her workload, featuring a new home office, an entirely remote team to lead, and full-time care for her three dogs. Oh, she also found, purchased, and moved into the condo of her dreams during all of this. Whew! She’s as dedicated as it gets, and sticks to an early morning routine that sets the tone for her day. Plus, when you have three dogs to walk, your morning starts early, like it or not. On this rare mornings the dogs work her up at their usual time around 5:30 am; she walked them and crawled back into bed. Perhaps it was the fresh fall air or the promise of clean sheets. Whatever the reason she allowed herself to break routine, slept until she woke without an alarm, and felt amazing for the rest of the day. Rest has been a buzzword for this pandemic, with families and individuals noting that the forced rest has been needed, and welcome. I’m glad Cathy finally got hers, and I hope she gets more. I hope rest has become a part of your new normal, too.

My Wonder Woman themed face mask gets more attention than I was expecting. The checkout clerk at Target struck up an interesting conversation, stating that Wonder Woman was a real person, and her husband created the lie detector test, hence her golden lasso of truth. ...

Is it really time for the pumpkin spice? Quarantine has given time a new meaning, or, lack thereof. It feels like I woke up one day in a swimsuit, and now everyone is wearing flannel. Autumn’s abrupt entrance means we are ready to get spicy. Pumpkin Spice, of course. ...

Like many other women and moms, I’ve been chatting on Zoom with my friends, hearing about their experiences with the COVID-impacted back to school season, and their heartfelt understanding of the difficulties and daily victories. My conclusion? COVID sucks, but women ...

Seeing a Tim Hortons was a new, but welcome sight as I departed my plane at a Canadian airport. Tim had coffee and that's what I needed, I ordered a large drip with room for cream. What i was given was a very, very small sized cup. I brought it back requesting my large ...

There are hundreds of bikes on every street corner in Amsterdam, thousands sometime. All pedestrians must look left, the direction the bike riders travel from if you want to survive on the street, let alone cross it. It's a crazy experience for first time visitors, as ...

I'm surprised by how little I hear about Valentines on the air. There could be an event, a mass wedding, a Galentines lunch. And why not, love is love is love is love. Evening request and dedication shows are guaranteed good content on this night. It's a consumer ...

I'm sitting on a flight with a bevy of travel,era, watching as drinks and trays pass by us until it's our turn to feast on whatever food the airline offers. Then, we remain captured while waiting to have the tray removed. For the longest time airplane food was a joke, ...

How did I get so lucky to ring in 2020 from Florence, Italy!? I'm sure my Italian relatives in heaven were dancing with me in the piazza while a man who looked like my Uncle Tommy deejayed a set that would challenge any of today's EDM greats. To get the image: Uncle ...

As I pull out my grandmother's Christmas mementos, I wonder what she would think about all the online Christmas cards and shopping happening all around. My physical mailbox brings some photos of friends and their families, these are a welcome treat. But, honestly, ...