A Galaxy Far, Far Away…

I met R2D2 at work today. No joke. See? He came delivering an important message to some kids I was working with. He brought a storm trooper and Darth Vader with him (who incidentally had foreign accents… which made me giggle!) It was a delightful pause in a hectic day. I loved seeing the looks…

Adult Cereal?

Until this week I had no idea there were different classes of cereals. I knew some were healthier, some more vibrantly colored, but I found an inarguable distinction in the store.   The adultness is present in the very names of these cereals. What kid would whine for Fiber Flakes or Colon Blow Clusters given…

Running and Asceticism

I’ve never experience the runner’s high, endorphine-flooded, goofy-this-feels-like-walking-only-faster-I-could-run-forever state of being. I feel every foot-pouding step, every muscle contraction, every oxygen-drenched breath when I run. I run for two reasons: 1. The sense of accomplishment is addicting. 2. To tell myself, “no.” When I completed my first 5K, I was totally pumped. Not by runner’s…

Everest Challenge

“I’m just going to do an easy mile and a half tonight to get ready for the race.” Yes, that string of words escaped my mouth last week and I never thought I would be able to say them. I spent decades avoiding the run with the following misguided logic, “We are finite creatures. Therefore,…

Band-Aids of Acknowledgement

Imagine you’re three years old. Just a tyke, full of imagination and no limits in sight. Always exploring. Always moving. Always playing. Your sense of adventure is often much larger than your height. And sometimes that over-eagerness leads to bumps and bruises, scrapes and scuffles. So you, adventurous three year old, fall down, scrape a…

My Default Recipe

Three years ago I made a New Year’s resolution. Resolved, to make one new recipe a month. Resolved, to get out of my boring dinner rut! I discovered the joy of roasting vegetables last year and I haven’t turned back. It opened a whole new world to me beyond baking or steaming. Here is one…

Smart, Funny or Beautiful?

“Fluffy, big-boned, hefty, heavy-set, solid, thick, well-nourished, overweight, big girl.” Everyone has their euphemisms for what’s really going on. And I was tired of it. I was tired of being unable to keep up physically. I was tired of being unable to shop in the misses department like my slender, petite friends. I was tired…