Issue #131 | August 14, 2026 | Previous issues Hey Reader, Are you the type to 'keep score'? I used to be that person, and I still find myself fighting that tendency from time to time. I come from one of those families that would take the shirts off our backs for someone in need. Isn't it only fair to expect the same treatment? You know, reciprocity? I do you a favor, and then when I'm in need, you return it. Now the score is even. Except, if you've lived life long enough, you know it doesn't...
10 days ago • 2 min read
Issue #130 | August 7, 2026 | Previous issues Hey Reader, The phrase, it is what it is, has been around a long time. Back in the day, when I was a computer tech, my boss used to say it to me all the time, complete with a cynical smile. It felt foreign to me then. I was young. Idealistic. Full of hope. I understood the sentiment behind it, but it's only in the last few decades that I feel the full effects of it. And now, I'm hearing that phrase more and more, as the next generations are...
17 days ago • 2 min read
Issue #129 | July 31, 2026 | Previous issues Hey Reader, Tomorrow is August 1st!!! Where has summer gone? If I had the power right now, I'd extend summer in New York for a few more months. My bones are getting cold, and it's not even September. If you had the power, what would you change right now? Today? Maybe your mind thinks bigger than the weather lol. Age. War. Immigration mayhem. Despair. Despondency. Cancer. Poverty. Crime. Violence. Inflation. Drugs. Injustice. Pollution. Take your...
24 days ago • 2 min read
Issue #128 | July 17th, 2026 | Previous issues Hey Reader, My nephew graduated kindergarten recently and was awarded a certificate his teacher created solely for him: Rad Researcher. In my nephew's words, he loves researching living and nonliving things. That kid has my heart! It also runs in our blood. While I wouldn't say I'm a rad researcher, I would say that I have an insatiable curiosity. I love learning, and there's always something to learn. (Greatest understatement of the year.)...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Issue #127 | July 10, 2026 | Previous issues Hey Reader, Two weeks ago, I told you to try this snappy little phrase just before you're about to get your panties in a bunch: I don't need to have an emotion about this. Then, last Friday, I gave you a different formula to try when getting control of your panties: Of course I feel _____. It makes sense because _____. I can honor that feeling and still choose _____. One reader wrote back saying she's absolutely sticking with the snappy phrase, and...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Issue #126| July 3, 2026 | Previous issues Hey Reader, Is it Friday already? Is it July already? We're officially halfway through the year. Wow. 🤯 How has your year been so far? Have you accomplished anything specific you're proud of? What would you like to accomplish before 2026 is over and done with? And with what energy? That's the question I've been grappling with lately. Let me be the first to confess that my list of wants, and to do's, is longer than my lifespan will allow. This is why...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Issue #125 | June 26, 2026 | Previous issues Hey Reader, Yesterday, my friend Nicole and I went for a walk and saw two turkey vultures munching on carrion. Yum, lol, for them. I wasn't raised in a time when Google was at your fingertips and info was accessible anytime, anywhere. It has taken me awhile to get used to whipping out my phone and doing research on the spot. I'm used to having to wait for answers. I'm used to planning trips to the library where I had to search for the right book to...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Issue #124 | June 19, 2026 | Previous issues Hey Reader, I'm going to keep this short and sweet. At least I'll try. lol I've been saying a phrase to myself recently that has been saving me a lot of stress. It's not exactly a mantra. It's more like a simple instruction for my nervous system and brain to follow. I'm sure if you tried to count how many irritating situations you encounter in a day, you'd run out of fingers and toes. Don't bother thinking too hard on that one. Instead, I want you...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Issue #123 | June 12, 2026 | Previous issues Hey Reader, It's hard to look around the planet and think of humans as crowned dust. I like to "joke" that we're devolving as a human race. Overall, we humans look pretty pathetic in the grand scheme of things. War. Poverty. Violence. Domestic and child abuse. Politics. Pollution. And these are just samples. I often wonder why we spend billions of dollars searching space for more intelligent life, because if superior beings DO exist, the last place...
2 months ago • 2 min read