First Person Singular by Wendy Braitman

Heartbreak for New Zealand

Illustration by Lisa Congdon

Athleisure

Illustration for The New Yorker by Igor Bastidas

Who Have You Hugged Lately?

Pets count.

Painting by Oriana Ingber

Fighting the Fidgets

I used to be a knitter and took my sweaters-in-progress everywhere. As the needles clacked away, my restless mind calmed down. It was a great way to deal with nervous energy. Now we have iPhones.

Glass sculpture by Carol Milne

Art Matters

Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the publication of Mario Puzo’s book, The Godfather. To mark the date, there have been a lot of media stories about the epic novel. But this one on NPR is my favorite, a beautiful example of how art changes lives. Don’t miss it!

Illustration by David Shrigley

International Women’s Day

Illustration by Paul Thurlby

Procrastination Season

Chart by Michelle Rial

Mid-week Affirmation

Image from Lee Crutchley

Carbo Loading

A friend of mine is on a carb-free diet, and today I got anxious just hearing about it. For me, life without carbs just wouldn’t be as sweet (or in this case, salty).

Photo by Philotheus Nisch

How was your weekend?

This morning in ballet class, I got the dreaded question – how was your weekend? There was a long silence while I took the time to think, did I do anything exciting? Later in the day, I remembered a highlight was going to the Farmer’s Market early Sunday morning and surrounding myself with gorgeous fruits and vegetables. Does that count?

Chart by Michelle Rial