The winter school break has given the girls time to take careful inventory of all of the stuffed animals and dolls they have accumulated over the years. After a thorough count, they proudly announced that they had a total of 128 stuffed toys, many with...
There is a heartwarming scene in an episode of the television series The Office. The staff at the fictitious Dunder Mifflin Paper Company are asked to post their New Year’s resolutions on a large board. Many of the employees’ resolutions are the types we all tend to...
Franz Kafka (1883-1924), widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th century literature, was a well-known pessimist. He lived with debilitating chronic physical and mental health problems, faced crushing self-doubt about his worth as a writer, and had a tumultuous relationship with his domineering...
I have always loved ladybugs. They are such happy and helpful little insects. When I think of ladybugs, I think of my mom. One of the loveliest things she did to help me adjust to moving away for college was sending care packages full of little...
One of the final assignments in our 8th grade social studies class was to write a letter to our future selves. We were asked to describe our views on life, detail what mattered most to us, and outline our dreams and wishes for the future....
There’s a viral video of a curly-haired 3-year-old girl named Jessica starting her day by giving herself affirmations in the mirror. Dressed in her matching pajama set, she stands on top of the bathroom counter with her face inches from the mirror. Her legs straddle...
At 30,000 feet the Sandia Mountains are beautiful in a completely different way than they are at ground level. As our plane descends into Albuquerque, I can see the dark green pine and fir trees that line the ridges and valleys. The setting sun splashes...
OMO: /ˈjōmō/ (Noun) Joy of missing out. Feeling content with staying in and disconnecting as a form of self-care. Antonym: Fear of missing out (FOMO) My email inbox is full of invitations for holiday get-togethers, school parties and performances, must-try baking recipes, and local holiday-themed activities around the city. When I open...
British sculptor Andy Goldsworthy is known for his unconventional approach to art. In a nine-month project he completed in 2019 at Kansas City’s Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Goldsworthy created a moving art display that he termed a “walking wall.” Under Goldsworthy’s direction, the museum’s campus workers...
We are quick to spot the absence of genuineness in communication. When talking with someone, we notice if they are using words that seem memorized or scripted. Our ears are tuned to hear when someone is hiding themselves by being overly detached and objective or keeping...