Reading Choose Your Own Adventure books, did you choose first then live or die with that choice? Or, did you research then decide which way to turn? I’ve always lived with “what ifs.” Some people assume that means I live a life of regrets. Truthfully, I live a life full of adventures with an over-active…
The moment I entered the gates, the Magic drew me in. All five of my senses surrendered to the seduction. Delicious sweets and salty popcorn tickled my nose and taste buds, the carousel serenaded me, the ground shook as the slow horse-drawn carriage rolled down the street. I’ll never forget the first day I got…
Walking through campus today reminded me of when I worked at the happiest amusement park on Earth. As part of the cast, my role contributed to the highlight of a lifetime for many, while not distracting from the moments. During their visits, guests shared their personal or collective biggest thrills, chills, challenges and happiest day…
I’m an all or nothing gal. I used to think it was a Gemini thing, then an oldest child thing, an Asian thing, supermom thing, now I know it’s a stubborn thing that needs to be obliterated – all or nothing! I feel the compulsion to cram as much as possible into the day. My…
Determined to keep crazy in 2011, I resolved to live this experience as it reveals itself, focus on every gifted moment, feel each emotion and pay attention to lessons offered. After a leap of faith, a break-neck turn, we experienced a little turbulence but no sinkholes! Occasionally, I reality checked myself to make sure I didn’t…
In 2007, after finalizing a divorce and launching myself into the rest of my life, I signed up to run the 10th anniversary race through my hometown on my birthday. The race was the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon as in 26.2 miles. For perspective, when we moved worlds away from San Diego out…
One thing I missed from having roommates was the end-of-day debriefing. Oprah filled in for a bit, but once her show went dark, I yet again pondered – What Would Oprah Do? She Journals! this blog enabled me to unwind with some whine. I hoped to force creativity, practice writing and organize thoughts. Being Gen…
My town’s 70,000 residents may not qualify us as the smallest. However, we hold the record as the densest town I’ve lived in. I’m not calling my neighbors names; close to 11,000 people live in each square mile. Why, then, am I surprised so many people here know my name? Recently, after hardly seeing people…
I confess, I did not make our Kindess cookies from scratch. Another confession; instead of giving cookies to random people, having scrapped that plan for a new crafty direction, we took them to Boy Scouts to fulfill our snack duty. When closing, one parent said “Those cookies were really tasty!” I responded with, “Oh, those?!…
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be a butterfly! I continuously search beyond the obvious symbolism in the complete transformation from the worm – [CUE: Heimlich’s voice] – into a beautiful butterfly! Once the Mariah Carey song “Butterfly” starts playing in my head, I lose…
Today being Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I wanted to teach my kids some of his lessons to love each other, contributing to the good of humanity and that small actions yield big power. I asked each child to dream up a random act of kindness that we could do. After a few suggestions, my…
When I left my job in the double-dip recession, I was determined, a bit crazy, but surprisingly, not worried. In my self-exploration, I discovered that by staying calm, not drowning in “What ifs?” then my efforts remained more logical, strategic and energetic. When people flipped out around me, it raised blood pressures and drained everyone….
