It’s the first blog of the month again, so you know the drill. We’re trying to incorporate a little change from my book, Finding Your Inner Moose, into our life each month, hoping it becomes habit. Our aim? Livin’ the good life, of course. Isn’t this year just is flying by? I mean, we’re already on “Chapter Six: A Good Marriage Starts With Please and Thank You.” Now like in real life, I do most of the talkin’ in my book. But I’m not the only one. My husband Charlie has a little section in each chapter where he weighs in on whatever topic I’m covering. You know, givin’ the guys point of view. His …

It’s the first blog of the month again, and if you’ve been followin’, you know the drill. For those of you who don’t, my book, Finding Your Inner Moose, has twelve chapters, and I’ve decided to dedicate the first blog of every month this year to a chapter. Not too shabby, huh? My intention is to choose a little change or two from that chapter I can incorporate into my life, hoping it becomes a habit. We’re on chapter five, “Tending the Roots,” which is about friends and family. I don’t know about you, but when I think about living the good life, I imagine myself surrounded by family and friends. They’re what keeps me …

At the beginnin’ of last month, I told you about me needin’ to take my own advice and make this my year of livin’ the good life. Since my book, Finding Your Inner Moose, has twelve chapters, I decided that for the first blog of every month this year, I’m gonna focus on a chapter, and chose a little change or two I can incorporate into my life that month, hoping it becomes a habit. Like I told you last week, I had varying degrees of success with my intention of bein’ kind to myself. But just settin’ that intention made me a lot more aware of when I wasn’t doin’ it, which in the …

OK, it’s January. Time for makin’ resolutions, turnin’ over a new leaf, startin’ fresh. I used to make (and break) lots of New Years resolutions: lose fifteen pounds, work out five times a week, not eat sweets until the weekend. (Right, that one lasted about a week!) Now I set an intention. I got that from my niece Caitlin, who seems to have the inside scoop on all things New Age-y. “An intention is gentler,” she says. “When you break a resolution, it’s done. With an intention, you can lose sight of it, but that doesn’t mean it’s gone forever. All you have to do is refocus on it.” That works for me! Besides, it’s …

So a few weeks ago, my washer finally bit the dust. It wasn’t like it happened all of a sudden. I’d been pushin’ it for awhile. One morning it started makin’ a clunking sound when it kicked into that final spin. No problem. Just shut it off, and end the wash there, right? But slowly the noise got louder and louder, ‘til one day it scared the you-know-what outta Scamp. And me! I adapted. I just ran a little quicker to the machine when it started protestin’, shut it off, calmed down Scamp and put the wetter than usual clothes in the dryer or out on the line. The last time I did this, though, …

So the other day, I’m havin’ my weekly get together with my sister, Irene, and I swear, we’re not five minutes into it when she looks at me and goes, “Ida, what’s up?” I can always count on my sister to cut to the chase. “Oh, Reney,” I says, “I’m not gonna lie to ya. I’m feeling so overwhelmed. It’s all good stuff, but even good stuff can be overwhelming if it’s comin’ at you all at once. And then there’s the feeling guilty ‘cause I’m so lucky, really. How dare I feel overwhelmed when my life is just so darned good? And I confess, I’ve been talkin’ to myself lately.” “What else is new?” …