Sometimes I share things on this blog just because I think you’ll like them.

My friend, Deborah Palmer, sent me this gorgeous video. It’s only 2 1/2 minutes long and features time-lapse photography of flowers blooming.

On this rainy, gray spring day here in the mountains of North Carolina I needed a breath of beauty.

Wherever you are and whatever the weather there, maybe you do, too.

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Just because sometimes something so simple can make such a big difference …

Check out this Ted Talk by activist Joe Smith–it’s less than 5 minutes long.

He demonstrates proper paper towel technique.

If every Americans used 1 less paper towel per person each year, we’d save 571,230,000 pounds of paper.

Remember, having a manageable life is all about making small, simple changes that produce big results.

This seem pretty manageable to me and the payoff for the environment is huge.

Watch this and you’ll never use paper towels the way again.

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Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart ” Author unknown

Today’s Ted Talk is only 11 minutes long and features Ekaterina Walter, a Russian immigrant who is living her version of the “American Dream.”

Those of us who grew up in the United States sometimes take for granted the advantages we have. Perhaps we need to hear from those who’ve lived without those advantages to fully appreciate our good fortune.

Ekaterina reminds us to:

• Dare to dream
• Make our own choices
• Live without fear
• Treat people as equals
• Break through the barriers we set for ourselves and others set for us
• Don’t give in to moments of doubt;  work through them instead

Do you have a love-hate relationship with all things digital?

If so, are you concerned, that we’re losing out on human connection when we choose to communicate primarily through digital devices?

Turns out that might be true, according to Sherry Turkle, a psychologist and sociologist who has spent years studying the impact of  mobile  technology and how it changes not only what we do but who we are.

Are you surprised that an 18–year-old boy who primarily texts told Turkle, “Someday, someday, but certainly not now, I’d like to learn how to have a conversation.”?

In her 19-minute Ted Talk, “Connected, but alone?,”  Turkle explores:

• What happens when we choose to retreat from real conversations because they take place real time and we can’t edit our responses
• What happens to our capacity for self-reflection (which is really just a conversation with yourself) when we haven’t learned to converse well with others 
• What happens when we expect more from technology and less from each other
• What happens when the Descartes quote “I think therefore I am” morphs into “I share therefore I am”

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that technology is bad and I’m certainly not advocating we return to a pre-digital era.

But I do agree with Turkel that “technology is making a bid to redefine human connection.”

The key question is how we can use technology to make this life a life full of real connection and compassion.

I hope you’ll take the time the watch the video below. If you’re receiving this via email, click here to view.

I visited the city of New York for a few days last week and managed to squeeze in a Broadway Show (Jersey Boys), an off-Broadway show (Newsical the Musical), a comedy showcase (The Broadway Comedy Club), visits to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Arts and Design, The Museum of Modern Art Design Store, a walk in Central Park and a taping of an television show from the OWN network (Lifeclass with Oprah Winfrey and Deepak Chopra).

We also had great meals at The Carnegie Deli and Basso 56, among others.

Whew! I’m exhausted just thinking about it …

But we had a great time.

We took the train from Charlotte, NC to NYC for a change–it took almost 14 hours.

It was certainly an adventure–but one that doesn’t need to be repeated anytime soon.

The bathrooms start to stink after 9 hours …

We stayed at a hotel right across the street from both Carnegie Hall and Starbucks, so we got our “culture fix” and our “caffeine fix” every day.

Now that’s my definition of heaven!

We stood in a long line virtually everywhere we went and loved every minute of it.

We absorbed the sights, sounds and smells (OK, we didn’t like some of those) and spent hours people watching. We must have heard a dozen different languages.

Our whirlwind tour was quite a change from our usual life, where we  have to drive 23 miles to get to the nearest town and Starbucks is even farther away.

You need that sometimes–even if only for a few days.

An “adventure”  whisks you away from your normal routines.

It heightens your senses.

Makes you acutely aware of your surroundings.

It teaches you about what you want in your life–everyday and only occasionally.

So shake things up once in a while.

Go on an adventure of your own.

Then come back and bask in the feeling of home.

Photo courtesy of:  John Britt (my husband)

It’s time for another edition of Ted Talk Time.

Actually it’s not time, but I thought this one was worth doing early…

But before we get to today’s talk, you will need to agree not to deploy what two-term U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins calls your “anti-poetry deflector shield.”

You know the one I’m talking about–the one you put in place years ago that allowed you to go through life without ever having to “suffer through” poetry again.

Collins is known for penning accessible poems that don’t skimp on wit or insight and this talk,  ”Everyday moments, caught in time,” is no exception.  You will be treated to short animations of three of  Collins” poems, which were done for the Sundance Channel.

Be sure to watch until the very end when he reads one of his newer poems. Parents, grandparents  and anyone else who has been around teenagers will relate to the sentiments he so deftly expresses.

I will be shocked if you don’t chuckle out loud …

Once you get over your delight, ask yourself if there are other experiences that you decided long ago required “deflector shields.”

You might want to uninstall those shields–at these for a little while–and revisit some of those things.

You just might learn something and even have some fun along with way.

If you want to learn more about Collins, here’s a link to his website.

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Photo courtesy of:  David Shankbone

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This week’s edition of Ted Talk times is an optimistic look at our future from Peter Diamandis, founder and chair of the X Prize Foundation. The talk is about 16 minutes long and well worth your time.

It’s easy to become discouraged about our future–the airways and internet are full of stories about everything that is going wrong in the world. And, as you’ll hear in Diamandis’ talk, our brains are actually wired to look out for the negative. Evolution has built a time-tested system that acts as our “danger detector.”

And that’s a good thing because we need to recognize danger so we can skirt it or eliminate it.

But it’s only part of the story.

We also need to counter our natural tendency to focus on the negative. We need to change the filter through which we examine our world so we can see the tremendous progress we’ve made over the last century or so.

Did you know that:

• We’re living during the most peaceful time in human history.
• Our life span has more than doubled in the last hundred years.
• Childhood mortality has come down by a factor of 10.
• Global literacy has increased from 25% to over 80% in the last 130 years.

Of course, there are many problems yet to solve. But we as individuals have access to more tools and technology than ever before.

As Oprah Winfrey once said:

“The future is so bright it burns my eyes.”

Do you share Diamandis’s optimism?

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Photo courtesy of:  NASA Goddard Photo & Video

You’re looking at the shadows of  my sheltie, Boo Boo, and me. We’re hiking on the mountain trail near our home in Western North Carolina. Hiking  is one of my most important and enjoyable habits.  We try to go most days if the weather is at least reasonable.

It’s not only good for my health, but also helps to keep me grounded. In some ways, it’s almost a spiritual experience.

I’ve learned over the years that connecting with nature is an essential ingredient of living a “manageable life” –at least for me.

Maybe hiking in the mountains isn’t your thing.

That’s OK.

Most of us have something or several somethings we like to do that, for whatever reason,  make us feel good.  Just make sure you try to do whatever it is regularly.

Better yet, make it a habit, ritual or routine. Call it whatever term you prefer, but don’t underestimate its power.

Make no mistake, habits  can transform your life–for better or worse. As Benjamin Franklin said long ago: “In the beginning man makes the habit. In the end, the habit makes the man.”

Are the things you do habitually helping you grow emotionally and/or spiritually? Are they helping to improve your health?  Or are they holding you back from realizing your optimal self?

I just finished reading “The End of Illness” by Dr.David B. Agus (This is not an affiliate link). Dr. Agus is one of the world’s leading oncologists and a pioneering biomedical researcher. (You can check out his credentials here and his blog here.)  Dr. Agus believes in the power of habit and has the research to back it up. I encourage you to read his book, which is chock full of interesting information about how our bodies seek homeostasis, which simply means a balanced state of being.

Maintaining a consistent daily routine, one that supports our body’s natural rhythms, like sleep-wake cycles, eating patterns, physical activity, etc., can reduce stress and inflammation, according to Dr. Agus. Inflammation is believed to play a significant role in many degenerative diseases (Alzheimers, cancer, diabetes, etc.) and accelerated aging. In essence, inflammation creates system imbalances which negatively impact our health. 

Armed with that knowledge I hope you’re at least interested in attempting to create a little more structure in your life. The good news is that you don’t have to do everything all at once or even tackle your most concerning bad habits first. 

Dr. Agus recommends you start by simply committing to a regular schedule.

• Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day (yes–even on weekends)
• Eat your meals and snacks at the same time each day (delaying meals when your body expects to eat causes the release of stress hormones)
• Exercise (if you do) at roughly the same time every day (if you don’t currently exercise, check with your doctor first)
• Take any prescribed medications at the same time every day

If you adopt this approach, according to Dr. Agus, you will soon begin to feel different–you’ll have more energy and also an enhanced sense of wellbeing. This makes tackling other, more difficult habits like smoking or overeating a bit easier.

I’ve been doing my own personal version of this for over a year now and I can tell you it works. Give it a try.

More, now, about my morning hike just because I want to show you a couple of photos…

On this particular morning my husband wasn’t able to go, so I carried my trusty walking stick with me (a wonderful–and useful–gift from my friends Ed and Barb) just in case I encountered some wild animal that needed scaring away or I fell and needed to hobble my way back down the mountain (I believe I’ve mentioned in a previous post that I can get carried away with the view and forget to pay attention when I’m walking. I’ve rolled my ankle several times and that’s no fun. But at least now I’m prepared.).

This is Boo Boo perched–or should I say posed–on my meditation rock.

Isn’t he just too cute for words?

He’s named Boo Boo because a genetic mutation made him too white.  Breeders consider it a flaw but I think he’s beautiful.

When I’m hiking alone and the weather isn’t so cold that I have to keep moving to stay comfortable (we live at 4500 feet, so it is often very crisp in the mornings),  I like to sit quietly soaking up the sun, listening to the birds and just enjoying the surrounding beauty and sense of peace. It’s a brief respite at the beginning or end of the day.

What ritual do you have that helps you set the tone for your day?

Is your morning routine filled with rushing and major stress just trying to get out the door  or do you take the time to relax with  a cup of coffee or tea?  Do you read the paper or do something else that helps you get grounded so you’re better prepared to meet the challenges of the day?

For years I was that rushed person. But I’m different now–and much happier as a result.

Here’s what I see from my meditation rock.  As you can tell, I’m not a very good photographer, but you get an idea of the gorgeous view.

I can recapture my sense of well-being just by looking at that picture.

If you don’t have some habits, rituals or routines that you can count on, the good news is that you have the power to change that.  It’s never too late to start.

So choose to live better.

Abraham Lincoln said, ”I have found that most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

Are you content with you life as it is?  Are your habits contributing to a sense of well-being or are they dragging you down?

 Are you willing to make up your mind–and structure your life–to be more balanced and, as a result, healthier and happier?

Please share your ideas in the comment section.

For many of us in the United States, spring came early this year.

My bulbs came up over a month early.

First crocus 2012

First daffodil 2012

I don’t know about you, but I’m happy to receive this early gift of nature.

So here’s my advice for today:

Be sure to take time to savor the small things that add beauty and joy to your life. Capture those moments (take a photo or write them down in your journal) so you can revisit them when life seems overwhelmingly complicated and decidedly “unfun.”

There are always daily opportunities to experience uncomplicated joy and simple pleasure.

You just need to “get out of your head” long enough to see them.