Did you have a nice Easter or, if you're Jewish like me, final weekend observing Passover? All I know is that, by this time each year, I'm dreaming of bagels, waffles and every other carbohydrate I don't usually eat, because I'm desperate for bread after seven days without it. I'm so desperate that, to take my mind off it, I usually start doing some spring cleaning (though I avoid the kitchen!). Well, during this year's spring cleaning, I stumbled upon an old picture of me (teenage me) and my parents with a little girl named Katie … [Read more...]

Tell me, are you giving the world a reason to dance? Kid President wants to know. If you haven't heard of Kid President, he's an amazing 9-year-old child who's described by Wikipedia (and Rainn Wilson of The Office) as an American comedian, motivational speaker and YouTube sensation. What Kid President really is, though, is a child on a mission to change the world. And he thinks we all need a pep talk. To remind us that, "It's everybody's duty to give the world a reason to dance."  Now, because I love Kid President so much, I want as many … [Read more...]

As you can probably tell from reading my blog, I love words. Writing them or reading them. I probably get that from my mom, who's usually already on her third book by the time I'm starting my first. She loves to read. A love she probably gets from her late mom (Nana, to me). If Nana wasn't knitting or watching a Brave's game, she was probably reading - something that got harder as she aged and her eyesight declined. With magnifying glass in hand, however, Nana happily continued flipping pages of her next book. Magnifying something can be … [Read more...]

So, I was at Starbucks working on this week’s blog post, when this skinny, 5’ 10” girl walks by. And I flash back to myself at 12 years old, when I was at the pediatrician’s office and she looked at my hand and said, “Sorry, Rachel, you’re not going to get any taller.” I was 5’ 2”. And, at 41 years old, I still am. If I’m being honest, I probably spent much of my earlier life comparing myself to taller girls I saw. And what did I conclude? That not only was I short, but I came up short. Until I started thinking about the good things about … [Read more...]

Remember that song, You Oughta Know, by Alanis Morissette? Especially the part when she belts out to her ex-boyfriend, “It’s not fair to remind me of the cross I bear that you gave to me”? I swear, even I felt it wasn't fair, she sang this line so passionately. And I bet that even if you can’t relate to what she was singing about specifically, you have felt, at one point or another in your life, like belting out, “It’s not fair.” And you know what? You were probably right. It wasn’t fair. Because, as we know, life is not always fair. It … [Read more...]

Have you ever watched the reality show, Undercover Boss? I don’t watch it often, but, when I do, I’m usually teary by the end. Now, hopefully I get a few courage points for admitting to you that I actually like a reality TV show AND that it makes me cry! But one of the reasons I like Undercover Boss is because, instead of resulting in superficial marriage proposals that are rarely based on true love, Undercover Boss leads to something real... Empathy. Empathy the CEO gains when he or she goes undercover, performing roles employees … [Read more...]