One of the most common New Year's resolutions I hear is to exercise more. Most people have fallen prey to the diet industry's proclamation that there is something wrong with their body and therefore they must punish it into submission, typically by restricting ever-changing food categories, purchasing and consuming odd over-priced concoctions and signing up for a marathon. I hear rephrasing like, "I just feel better if I excercise," and "I just need to lose a few pounds," but

The scene opens with a mother sitting on a chair, huddled by a bed in a dark bedroom, only one lamp lit. She holds the hand of a boy lain flat on the bed, neither moving save her lips in silent prayer. The only heartbeat is her own. She doesn't believe it. This can't be real. She believes the pain of reality would break her, so she denies it. How long will she stay here? How long will she demand the benevolent savior do her will ? How long will she rot with her boy? There are

When's the last time you fell for someone? And what was it that made you fall? Is it pure animal attraction? Desirable character? Same life goals? Was it a romantic partner? Or can we also fall for influencers, performers, and educators? Maybe a magnetic personality? Religious leader? Political pundit? The implication of falling is that when you lean in like that you make yourself more vulnerable to whomever it is. You suddenly trust them more. Their opinion matters to you mo

Over Thanksgiving my daughter and I took a trip to Hobby Lobby to snag a few bangles and bobbles to decorate my house for Christmas. The pizazz was a bit overwhelming, but fun nonetheless. One-thousand smells, two-thousand sparkling lights and three-thousand ornaments. My last grab was a new Christmas tree stand, which I snagged without much thinking. It was the only one on the shelf. At the register my bill was twice as much as I expected, making me gawk at the reciept as I