Dear Daughter, It’s coming up on 25 years since I first went on a date with your dad, and it's been 21 years since he gave me a diamond engagement ring. I still have it, but I don’t wear it all the time, now that my knuckles swell past its size. And that’s the thing: it’s just a symbol, something …
My Money Makeover
Like the "before and after" pictures in a glossy magazine, the way I view money has recently undergone a makeover. Growing up, my family spent money on experiences such as eating out, music concerts, and vacations, but we also loved shopping for stuff. It was an expression of love, success, and …
Is Upgrading Always Worth It?
Upward mobility. We're geared to seek it as goal-driven professionals, as Americans, as humans. Our innate sense is to improve our circumstances, otherwise we run the risk of becoming weak and irrelevant. In modern circles, though, this evolutionary holdover has morphed into a ridiculous constant …
A Technology Vacation…??
In keeping with my recent thoughts on simplicity, my husband and I decided it would be a good experiment to see how we would fare without our most oft-used technology and media devices - phones, internet and computers, TV, radio, and car. After all, there were lots of projects to be done around the …
Pathway to Simplicity
The other day, we watched a documentary called Tiny. It really made me think: could I live full-time in 100-200 square feet of space? How about with another person, even? Participants in the tiny house movement are doing just that. They have various motivations for downsizing, but the basic common …
The Kaizen Principle: Are You Living It?
Kaizen, literally translated from Japanese as good change, has been defined in English as "continuous improvement" or "philosophy of improvement". My husband, who runs a patent law practice, uses this symbol as the core principle of his business, encircled by the terms, "inspire, innovate, …
