First Word

  Children's books make great Christmas presents. Ant Trails and Butterfly Dreams - A Story About Happiness by Selwa Berbawy is an ideal gift to bring inspiration to all.  This enchanting book shares with children how to easily switch their thoughts from sad to happy. It's based on self-help teachings, but brought down to the level of children.  Here is what some reviewers said: Direct sentences and frequent dialogue make the story accessible while providing tangible recommendations for increasing happiness in one’s own life. Arney’s tale is familiar to readers of all ages, and its satisfying ending provides hope to those for whom happiness is elusive. ~ River Dancer I love books like this that share messages that appeal to all ages. That is what Selwa is able to achieve with her new book ANT TRAILS AND BUTTERFLY DREAMS. We are able to see how happiness is something we can choose, even if every day is not perfect. We can make the choice to focus on the good and...

     I’ve recently seen articles addressing hybrid work environments. Over the years, I have had positions where I worked at home a few days a week and in the office. The last 15 years I have worked remotely (very successfully).             First, let’s address the reasons for remote/hybrid work – the pandemic. I want to share a story about illness in the workplace. I worked for an organization where I was continuously exposed to other sick employees and bad air filtration. We used to call these “sick” buildings. Older buildings where the air is recirculated also meant germs got easily shared among employees. When I worked in this sick building I was ill nearly all winter long. Years later when I began working exclusively from my home office, the illnesses ceased. Now I am rarely sick.             Many positive reasons exist...

    After another breakup where halfway through the relationship I found out that I had been deceived, I realized once again my “picker” was broken. I stayed after I uncovered the deception. I got asked why? The answer is simple: love. Once you have been swept into the deception and relationship, it makes it difficult to break it off. The lies and emotional abuse continued until I couldn’t take it anymore. So, I finally ended it. Now I faced being single again—ugh! Not again, right?!      The good news is, this time it was different. I had read and studied how to have a healthy relationship. I highly recommend you sign up for emails from online relationship experts like A New Mode, Flourish, Jason Stedman (he replaced Christian Carter), Rory O’Rourk, and others. I began voraciously reading about how men think and behave. Over many years of conscious reading, I came to understand important issues, such as setting boundaries, loving yourself, and learning to date ...