What’s Your Power Song?

Screenshot from Natasha Bedingfield's Unbroken video, US version. Profile view of singer standing in evening sun.

Fifteen years ago this month, I was crouched down on the shiny white tile floor of an empty big box store, stocking shelves for hours on end while listening to the same few CDs on repeat. I’d finished my college course work in December but wouldn’t officially graduate until May. I was back in my hometown and needed to bring in some money while searching for a full-time position, so I took a job setting up a new Target store.

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How Do I Know Meditation is Working?

A child in a red hat and blue coat walks down a neighborhood street with a dusting of snow in the grass

If you’ve read this blog for a while, you know I’m a regular meditator. But the “regular” part really only happened within the last year or two. Before that, I had meditated in fits and starts, trying it here and there for a few days or weeks at a time. Then I’d stop because I thought I didn’t have time, and I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right, and I wasn’t seeing obvious changes in myself, despite the research suggesting that meditation can have significant benefits.

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The Saving Strategies that Work for Me

Close-up of twenty-dollar bills

Not all that long ago, I had quite a bit of debt and virtually no savings, aside from a couple of meager retirement accounts. Now, my net worth has flipped solidly positive, I’m debt-free aside from my mortgage, and I’m stashing away a lot of money for my future. Below, I discuss some of the saving strategies I used to get to where I am today.

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New Habits for the New Year

A rainbow over three homes next to a lake
A rainbow captured on New Year’s Day

I few weeks ago, I wrote that in 2021, I wanted to make more time for myself. I’d noticed that my body seemed to be craving more movement and my mind was longing for more quiet time to read, write, and work through ideas. But part of being kind to myself means not setting near-impossible resolutions and then beating myself up when I don’t adhere to them. Doing that can really mess with one’s self-image. It’s important for me to set goals that I can actually meet.

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Giving Thanks to Those Who Shaped Us

Middle school girls in renaissance-inspired costumes with their drama club director at a school Shakespeare festival

The night before Thanksgiving, I did a guided meditation on the 10 Percent Happier app called “Gratitude for Benefactors.” The meditation asks the listener to call to mind a person who helped them in some way. The first person I thought of was, surprisingly, a teacher I had in middle school. I haven’t seen her in years, and I had never before thought about how much she encouraged me or the learning opportunities she provided.

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