We’ve heard of the “Freshman Fifteen” but how about the “COVID-19 Fifteen”? It turns out that in addition to the concerns about stress and mental health that compound the general health concerns that COVID-19 has raised, the pandemic has taken a toll on individuals’ waistline. Concerns have arisen from the COVID-19 pandemic that weight gain after long periods of inactivity and compensatory eating has made increased obesity a secondary health issue of the COVID-19 pandemic. In light of this news, it’s important to find opportunities to get out and exercise while also enjoying the outdoors. One good way to recharge…

Several books and movies have told the story of Jesse Owens, so tackling this larger-than-life personality is no easy task. Jeremy Schaap, who also wrote Cinderella Man, was up to the task when he wrote Triumph. Schaap manages to cover all of Owens’ important life moments while also really going into detail about the racial tensions in the United States and the broader political and military tensions brewing globally in the 1930s.

The story of Owens starts with his upbringing and both his parents’ wish for him to have a better life than they did. Upward mobility for African Americans…

“Western society today is moving in two distinct and opposing directions. On the one hand, mainstream culture moves relentlessly towards continued growth. On the other hand, a counter-current, has kept alive the ancient understanding that all life is inextricably connected.” — Helena Norberg-Hodge

Humans are a social species, so at first glance, it should not surprise or concern us that we live our lives among thousands of strangers. However, our biology indicates we can maintain approximately 150 relationships. This number, known as Dubar’s number, would indicate that according to our biology, we thrive when we work and live in closer-knit…

** Short intro: I was in a professional meeting once where an individual exclaimed something had reminded them of their favorite pair of scissors that they had owned as a child. That’s all that was said. I was recently reminded of it the other day and thought there had to be an interesting back story behind those scissors if they were so important. This is a fictionalized, creative idea written as a short story about what the history behind those scissors may have been.**

Natalie was a young woman in her mid — 20s. She had moved from southern France…

“A minute of pain is worth a life time of glory” — Louis Zamperini

In a counterfactual world, the 2020 Olympics would by now be a note in history. Instead, we wait in anticipation of the games after a postponement to the summer of 2021. The postponement of the Olympics in 2020 was only the fourth time such a cancellation or postponement of the games that have occurred since the modern Olympics began in 1896. The previous three cancellations coincided with World War I (1916) and World War II (1940 and 1944).

Much like the previous three times, the current…

“In the end, people don’t view their life as merely the average of all its moments — which, after all, is mostly nothing much plus some sleep. For human beings, life is meaningful because it is a story.” — Atul Gawande

Atul Gawande’s book Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters, in the end, doesn’t read like a traditional self-help book and that is a good thing. What Gawande does in the book is to make you think and reflect. The real power comes from the fact that Gawande allows you the opportunity to consider things that could both change your…

Liz enjoys living in solitude outside of a large state forest preserve. When she isn’t working shifts at a nearby hospital she enjoys driving out to the local trails to run or hike. This feeds her need to explore. One of her favorite things to do is to go for a short hike with her husky, Max, in fresh snow.

The time alone in the woods with fresh snow provides Liz with the opportunity to reflect and the crisp air and snow awaken her senses.

Luckily for Liz, it snowed the night before and blanketed the trails with a fresh…

At the start of the New Year, I read a well-written story in the newspaper that covered the life of an individual who had lived to the age of 91. The story did a tremendous job of capturing the enormous life that this individual, and any person, can live in that amount of time. The article was also posted by the writer on Facebook and it was reassuring to read the posts connected to this story. One comment that particularly caught my attention said, “They don’t make them like they used to, do they?”

The comment seemed especially fitting for…