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Dec 21

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The “To Don’t” List

I’m a list maker…always have been.  I like lists because they make me feel like I’m moving forward (or at least planning to move forward), and because checking things off simply feels good.  Beyond liking lists, I need them to both remember the past (I jot down a “top 10” list after every trip I take) and frame the future (I keep track of everything from fleeting ideas to daily tasks to big picture goals to places I want to visit and people I want to meet).  As a function of spending time at a computer during the day, I’m making more and more lists online (Evernote is my favorite platform for this), but I still prefer the old school ones I write by hand and tack up on my wall or chalkboard or fridge to see every day. Read more

Dec 20

Finding Your Fitness Guru

Michael Olajide in Action

Michael Olajide in Action

Fitness gurus have marked stages of my life just as much as the basics (jobs, apartments, relationships, etc) have.  Michael Olajide (who taught me that boxing training can get you fit faster than almost anything else) and Elena Brower (who taught me that yoga and gymnastics aren’t very far apart) marked my NYC years…Les Leventhal (yoga) was a constant in my life in San Francisco…and now two local teachers — Alyssa Blau (spin) and Rebecca Bara (yoga) — are my go-to people in the ‘burbs.  Finding a teacher you love is super personal and involves a lot of trial and error, but finding someone who speaks to you is beyond worth it. Read more

Dec 19

Holiday Cards in July?

photo(4)I dumped our stack of holiday cards into the corner mailbox this morning, feeling relieved to have gotten them out the door before January or February (for the first time ever).  Getting our act together to get cards made and mailed isn’t easy and undoubtedly involves a swift argument over who was on the hook to get the missing addresses, followed by a late-night push to get envelopes stuffed and stamped.  If it’s such a scramble, what keeps us (primarily North Americans and Asians, according to wikipedia) sending cards year after year (the first “Christmas card” was sent in 1843)?  Read more

Dec 18

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Eggs By Candlelight

My mom lights candles at dinner almost every night.  Even if “dinner” means cheese, crackers, and a glass of wine in the kitchen, she finds a simple tea light or two to adorn the counter.  She dims the overhead lights and lets the candles flicker until the dinner ends…and sometimes even a bit beyond.  I never thought much about this as a kid; in fact, I don’t think I even noticed it.  But now, as an adult, I find myself lighting candles most nights.  This little ritual makes me feel like I’m at home…”home” in a deep sense that connects my childhood dinner table with the one around which my own children now gather.   The sparkling light calms me (and makes my husband look extra handsome).  And the simple act of lighting candles makes dinner feel unique and precious, even if it’s scrambled eggs and toast. Read more

Dec 17

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Short on Workout Time? Try Tabata!

Long before I formalized it as part of my wellfesto, daily exercise has always been one of my non-negotiables.  And as with any “must do’s,” I’ve definitely done some weird things to fit in workouts during hectic times…things like literally running from NYC’s Meatpacking District to Times Square in peak humidity to deliver an important document when the wait for a messenger was too long, holding running meetings through Potrero Hill (when I’ve been lucky enough to work with people who are up for it), and standing on my head in a locked conference room at the office.  It would be amazing to have the daily luxury of long runs through the woods or leisurely 10am spin classes, but those sort of workouts aren’t always feasible.  And even if they are, doing them means trading off time that could be spent doing something else. Read more

Dec 14

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A Jolt of Perspective

For today’s post, I had grand plans of covering Tabata (a high intensity training method from Japan that I’ve been trying out).  But after hearing about this morning’s incomprehensible shooting in Connecticut, writing about interval training just doesn’t feel quite right.  Tragedies like this are impossible to make sense of; my brain can barely even process what actually happened, and as a parent, I have to work hard to resist spiraling into “what if” scenarios involving my own kids.  With acts that are this senseless, it’s difficult to extract any sort of wisdom or lessons.  It’s pretty tough to even move beyond the heartbreak.  But for me there is one meaningful thing this situation does offer: a jolt of perspective. Read more

Dec 13

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We Give Thanks…

I’m not a formally religious person.  Rather, through years of living in New York and now the Bay Area, I’ve evolved into a token 21st-century “spiritual, but not religious” person, looking to things like yoga, nature, books, and other people for some sort of understanding of why we’re all here on this earth (more to come on that some other time).  And while this view is liberating and open and inclusive, it also brings with it some challenges.  Questions like how to incorporate the childhood religious traditions/rituals (i.e., singing Silent Night by candlelight on Christmas Eve, volunteering in the church food pantry, family Easter scavenger hunts) are ambiguous and difficult to resolve. Read more

Dec 12

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Getting Started

Today is my birthday.  I love birthdays for lots of reasons, but mostly because they punctuate time, bridging the past with ideas about and hopes for what the next year might bring.

This year, I’m making a big commitment: I’m launching this site and aiming to post 260 times (every single weekday) between now and my next birthday. Read more

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