Recent research has shown that if by the end of third grade a child is not at reading level, they are at risk for not graduating high school. This is because in kindergarten through third grade a child is learning how to read. After that, they need to be able to read to learn. Students…
Lately I have been pondering how the Universe sometimes guides me. When I was younger, I rarely looked behind life’s curtain. If I couldn’t find my car keys, I just saw the event as: “I can’t find my car keys.” Now when I can’t find my car keys, I am immediately aware of being over-extended,…
In this short and inspiring video, Ida Keeling, the national champion of the 60-meter dash of the 95-99 age group, imparts some wonderful wisdom. Life presents us with challenges—some are harder than others. So the question is: How do we respond?” Are we reactive or have we learned how to activate our conscious problem-solving mind…
In this very artistic short video, David Bowden asks some provocative questions: When we plug into the internet are we unplugging from each other? As we search daily, what do we gain and what do we lose? Is there space for both in our life? As we become an increasingly technologically advanced society, I think…
What makes us old? Is it the loss of the suppleness in our body or our mind? I think the loss of the suppleness of our mind, or stagnant thinking, ages us faster because it is our beliefs and perceptions, not our genes that control our body. As I have aged, I have become aware…
In this short video, Gordon Hempton, an acoustic ecologist who has spent over thirty years recording the steadily vanishing natural soundscapes, talks about the impact that one square inch of silence can have on nature and the world. As I listened to this video, I began to ponder what the impact that each of…
When I get overwhelmed by life, my usual response is “back to basics”! This is not the time for me to continue operating from the mindset of “just one more thing,” but rather the time for me to stop, shift gears, and reconnect with myself and what is important to me. This is a time…
In this very thought-provoking, short video clip, Dr. Bruce Perry talks about how our brain reflects the world we grew up in. Instead of focusing on how trauma impacts brain development, his usual topic, he brings light to the topic of how our compartmentalized and screen-dominated society is affecting brain development by not providing enough…
Sometimes when I draw I use a pencil and sometimes I use an eraser. I find the same is true with life. When I am clear about what I want or what I want to create, then I use a pencil to add in the necessary lines and details to develop the picture. On the other hand,…
I grew-up in an environment that held higher education in extremely high regard. It wasn’t until later in life that I came to realize that I also was taught indirectly that those who had a higher academic education were better than those without. I don’t feel this is true. I feel the most important thing…