Friday night I experienced a small piece of France in Spotsylvania, Virginia. For those of you who don’t know a lot about Virginia, Spotsyvania, like many counties in Virginia, is a county in the middle of nowhere. Invited to a dinner soiree at my friend Patti’s farm, it was a beautiful, intellectual, and freeing evening that
TO DO: BE AWESOME.
I love to-do lists, and have always been an over-achiever, trying to squeeze out more from time than time would have to give. Sometimes, such productivity can be a good thing, but more often than not, we are only short-changing ourselves from something even richer than a check-list can provide. In the midst of doing
PAULO’S MOMENT
Wednesday afternoon, along the narrow winding water streets of Venice, my Gondolier, Paulo, taught me first hand how to simplify my life an my thoughts. A Venetian native, hailing from a 400-year old Gondola heritage, Paulo is one of the 500 Gondoliers servicing the tourists that flock to his city daily. He works long days,
RUSHED HAPPENS.
Life whirls us around full circle sometimes, leaving us with barely a moment to catch our breath before realizing that the entire day has passed us by. Such was my day today, and it reminded me to slow down, because today I missed out on my favorite petits plaisirs of life. Busy making
ROAD RASH ON SUNBURN
Road rash on sunburn is a feeling that I would never wish on anyone. Yesterday, after soaking up the 90 degree Virginia heat during a 5-hour bike ride, I took yet another spill off my bike. This time, no mulch truck was involved — only my tire, a dip in the road, a sidewalk, and
SKYLINE DRIVE SPEEDBUMPS
There is more to life than increasing its speed. -Gandhi Skyline Drive schooled me on slowing down my life this weekend. Sunday morning I set off for a 100 mile training ride with a group of riders. Starting in Sperryville, Virginia at the base of the mountains, we started the morning in good spirits.
MIAMI TO IBIZA BEACH THERAPY
Nothing beats wiggling your toes in the sand. Celebrating with fruity drink in hand after a great half marathon only adds to the beauty of the moment. I call this beach therapy. Getting to escape sea-side for a weekend reminds me of one of life’s great truths: that the cure to everything can be found
ENDORUSHED LIVING
I am a time-maximizer. Master of efficiency, I have been known to run to the bathroom in the middle of the night rather than walking (to minimize on total amount of sleep lost by waking, of course), to listen to motivational speakers on NPR while driving, and to dub the movies I watch into French
TIME FOR THYME
“The art of life is to live in the present moment, and to make that moment as perfect as we can by the realization that we are instruments and expression of God himself.” – Emmet Fox Fox states beautifully what I feel deep inside: that by living in the present moment and recognizing that present
LISTERINE SANDWICHES
It’s no secret that I love Listerine. I am slightly obsessed with having a clean, fresh mouth. This freshness OCD started as a child by stealing my Dad’s Bubble Yum’s Peppermint Gum from his secret hiding spots in his car, and, over the years, developed into what it is today: I keep Altoids in every pursue