21 Days to Form a Habit

They say it takes 21 days to form a habit. So if you make yourself show up every day for 21 days to practice a new behavior that will improve your life, you'll have it. This applies to the previous "key-rack" example, or any other behavior-mod upgrade. You can do it!

Where are my keys?

We lose our keys. On a regular basis. What pocket could they be in? When did we have them last? Which purse? Which pants? There are an infinite number of places to lose them during everyday activity. It is so obvious. Just install a key hanger or reasonable facisimile — right by the door!

Junk Mail

This will be my first of many posts concerning unwanted junk mail. Today's focus is that heaping mass of newspaper ads that arrives in your mailbox weekly, sometimes, only to lay around like it owns your house. After much sleuthing, I found out how to eliminate this offending paper. You can call 888-241-6760 to request to be removed from their list. Once they receive your request it takes around 5-6 weeks to take effect. Believe me, it's worth it!

Your Happy Place

Today, at a session with my posture coach, we kept tweaking to get me in the best position to work out on a machine that would lengthen my spine. After much ado, I finally hit the motherlode. He said, "you need to be in your happy place for it to work right." It was an aha moment for me, as a way to communicate the importance of nuance. Doesn't this apply to all things in life? It could be eating "just the right" food, sleeping in "just the right" bed, having your surroundings be "just the right" temperature...try applying this to things that seem small and insignificant. Your quality of life might just soar, without you doing much.

Mercury Retrograde

Mercury retrograde is an astrological event that happens thrice yearly. Whether you believe in astrology or not, you might want to pay attention to how things are going the next couple of weeks of your life. Mercury retrogrde lasts around 3 weeks each time, and is characterized by glitchy, stuck, problematic insidiousness that seems to hang up our lives. Examples are car trouble, scheduling glitches, an egg splattering on the floor, printer refusing to print, calls not being returned, etc. This month it began on Sept. 7, and will end on Sept. 29. If you have any entertaining mercury retrograde stories, let's hear it. Oh, in case you're interested, it is supposed to be a bad time to sign contracts. Somehow, just knowing about it allows me to brace myself when it comes. I can then sit back and watch the show with a degree of humor. Last week my car made a low-level jackhammer noise. It turned out to be the motor for an electric mesh shade for my rear window, that I didn't even know I had. I could have been using the shade all this time. Now that I know I have the shade, it's too costly to replace the motor, but in the big picture, I can deal! It's just Mercury retrogrde.

Puddle Jumping ~ A kid's gotta do what a kids gotta do

Today my grandson was running all around with his new green-light-flickering shoes. He stopped by a puddle, looked at me, and before I could respond, he jumped in it with such glee that I knew instantly he just had to do it. He was so pleased with himself. For him, water, any water, is for going in. He dips his chips in water, uses five straws, stays forever at the drinking fountain. He even dips his macaroni in water. I am sure he could organize his entire life around water. It is his thing. Period.

A Good Old Fashioned Block Party

Tonight was the 9th annual party of our one-block-long street. Each of our parties has been a big success. It helps to live on a block full of foodies, where hardly anyone ever moves away. The offerings tonight were perfect. And sitting around the firepit into the wee hours was so campy, especially when we all warmed our bare feet. We are keenly aware of how sacred this event is. If you have even a small organizing gene, good neighbors, and someone with an invitingly shaped driveway, I say go for it! We start at around 5 on a Saturday, and it has gone as late as 2AM. Our first party took a good bit of organizing and effort. Sinde then, it takes only minimal volunteer time for a few people each year. It is code to bring a dish that is homemade and known to be a crowd pleaser. Somewhere, under the radar...