Looking for Adventure
One of the things I tell my clients is we need adventures in our lives. Just what do I mean by that? Do I mean we need to get out and do crazy, risky things? Well, maybe but not necessarily. Remember, crazy and risky are relative terms. If you’re agoraphobic,...
Grabbing the Gold Ring
My grandmother (Nana) used to take me to Balboa Park. We would wait at the corner for the #7 bus which would drop us off in front of the zoo. We would stroll through the rose garden, me walking the curbs pretending to be a tightrope walker. Nana close by, ready to act...
Let’s Fly!
Yesterday the Adventure Club went sky diving. Without an airplane. Indoor sky diving. Can you call it sky diving if there’s no sky involved? Vertical tunnel flying is more accurate. We did our flying at iFLY in Union CIty. What an operation! I cannot begin to imagine...
Inspiration from Mr. Magorium
I get a lot of inspiration from movies. A few nights ago Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium was on. I love the magic toy store and Dustin Hoffman's relentlessly positive outlook. The first time I watched it I was struck by a quote and it has become a favorite, “Your...
Bulletin Board Physics
The bulletin board that hangs over my desk started out life as a collage. I’d seen a photograph of a wall or large board covered with artifacts from someone’s life. The complex, colorful layers, and textures made it into art and I was inspired. Mine developed pretty...
Sweet Summers
It’s officially Summer! I think this is my favorite season. As a little kid my mother would pick me up from school on the last day, settle me in the back seat of her 1949 Pontiac, and head for the desert. My dad worked for Caliente Race Track in Tijuana Mexico but in...
My First Job
My first paying job was in a dirty book factory. I don’t mean a grimy, grey, concrete facility located underneath a motorcycle dealership, although it was that too. I mean it was a place that printed and distributed “obscene” books and magazines. Obscene by the...
Tip for Living Happy NOW! – Break Your Routine
How often do you go through your day and at the end nothing much stands out at all? When asked how your day was, do you have to think hard to come up with something that stands out? That’s pretty normal. We all have routines; routines so reliable, so set, so...
Tips for Living Happy NOW! – Desk Toys
I admit it. I spend way too much time at my desk. And, just like the electrician who eats in the dark, and the shoemaker’s children who go barefoot, the happiness coach (that’s me) forgets to get up and go outside to take a break. That doesn’t mean I don’t play...
Home Alone
I am seldom home alone. Yesterday was one of those rare days when I enjoyed a few hours with the place all to myself. Knowing it wouldn't last long and it will be a long time before it happens again I wanted to take full advantage of the freedom. Freedom to do what,...
Tips for Living Happy NOW! – Smile!
Feeling grumpy? Woke up cranky? Generally annoyed? Try this. SMILE I know, you don’t feel like smiling. You’re probably thinking that it’s a stupid idea. How can plastering a fake grin on your face do anything besides annoy you even more? I hear you, and you know...
It’s Just Like Riding a Bike
When I was around 6 my dearest wish was to learn to ride a 2-wheeler. Late one Christmas Eve I was given a peek of Santa arriving outside our home with gifts in tow, one of which looked suspiciously like a bike. Then I was sent to bed so Santa could do his work in...