If one is unhappy on the inside, no high-tech electronic, fancy outfit, or latest doo-dad will fill that void. No amount of “retail therapy” will make you whole if there is a hole within.

Reality is if my indulgences were limited just to holidays, I wouldn’t have to lose 70 pounds. Celebrations were the validation I used to reaffirm that “weight loss is too hard.” Failure sat at the head of every holiday meal table as the unwelcome guest, “Give up – start again later.”

I don’t see how anyone can say that animals don’t experience emotions nor develop close relationships after watching this video. The fact that Tara tried to rescue Bella and take her to the sanctuary, and the fact that the other elephants are sharing their food with Tara was amazing – and inspiring – to me.

What if we could make this Thanksgiving less stressful, more fun, and actually be able to enjoy ourselves, appreciate our family and friends (even the ones who drive us nuts), and focus on what we’re thankful for in a genuine way?

Winter can make us too lax and be even less healthy. As animals, we have the instinct to eat more when the weather gets cold. But gorging on calorie-dense holiday food can kill any beach body aspirations before they can even start. You don’t want to spend all of January on a treadmill because of what you ate in November and December.

The mantra of all disillusioned dieters haunts its way into my caramel-coated consciousness, “As long as I blew it, I might as well really blow it and start dieting tomorrow.” Whether ‘tis the dark side of candy corn talking or not, this idea makes sense at the moment and from then on, anything slow enough to get a fork into it becomes my prey. Before dawn, I have consumed more calories than there are zombies walking the streets on all Hallows’ eve.

Children scrutinize their candy count in the same manner bankers track investments; so come morning, the inquest begins, “Dad, where’s the rest of my candy?” Having foreseen this, I had deftly spread the cellophane-wrapped bounty across the table, assuming it would appear more sizable than it really was. “Oh my!” I exclaim, trying to generate contagious enthusiasm. “You’ve got loads of candy. Look.” Alas, this misrepresentation was caused by being under the influence of toffee peanuts; please forgive.

If someone you loved had fallen down a well what would you do to rescue them? Would you call for help and wait with them, offering words of encouragement until the emergency services arrived, or would you take more of a participatory role in the rescue, and go and find a rope that you would then use to hoist them out of the hole? Regardless of which one of these approaches you favoured, one thing that you would probably not do is jump into the well to be with them. Taking this step you would not be able to help them much. Being just as stuck as they are, you would also require the assistance of skilled helpers before you and your loved one could be returned safely to the surface.

Asking for help is not only acceptable, sometimes it is necessary in order to improve.

Today is Mary Ann and my 11 year anniversary. In honor of that, I wanted something inspirational that was tied to marriage. If you have not seen this video, it’s five minutes of absolute delight. Enjoy. By the way, according to a post on blog.koldcast.tv entitled The Ten Best Wedding Videos Since the Invention of [...]

Stop the clock. I told her “I’m working hard at relaxing.” That statement makes as much sense as “same difference,” or “kosher ham;” but I swear it was my reply and I’m betting you relate. Our lives are so cluttered, that if tasks were boxes, we’d be featured on the TV series “Hoarders.” No longer are we human beings, we have become “human doings.”

Maintaining a balance between work and pleasure is necessary. For a healthy life, your work and leisure activities should travel together. Sometimes work will take the front seat and sometimes leisure. Only work or only leisure will lead to an unhealthy lifestyle affecting your body, mind and your surroundings. These six tips will help you do that.

We provide our name in reply to the question “Who are you?”. But, in reality, that’s not accurate, because my name is not WHO I am, it’s WHAT I am called; it’s a label. Well, I could reply, “a man,” “father,” or even “American.” Those are actually more descriptive than responding with my name. They deliver more detail, but are still painfully vague. Piling on additional descriptors becomes the next step. Certainly this constructs a more vibrant portrayal, but it is still soooooo scratching the surface.