The USA is not Florida — Trump called him “Tiny D.” I agree with what Seth Meyers said on his show Late Night with Seth Meyers: You can’t get any better nicknames for FL governor and imminent Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis than that or Meatball Ron. As most of the country rejects authoritarianism, two states…

How bad do you want it? — When we’re emotionally free, we’re able to observe and experience feelings in a neutral way without worrying too much or getting frantic. Emotional autonomy fosters healthy relationships and helps us appreciate others. When we’re emotionally free, we choose friends and lovers based on compatibility. On the other hand, when we’re…

Desk-chair butt does not have to be your destiny. — We’ve all heard how horrible a sedentary job is for your body. But we must make a living, and we also want to stay in shape. A recent Today article suggested “activity snacks” for the deskbound, five minutes per hour of getting up and walking around. That’s one way to…

It cures my ill — When I was a kid, I made an acronym (because that’s what I did for pretty much everything): FATL for Fun at the Library. My best friend and I loved to read, liked the library, and could find a way to have fun pretty much everywhere. We enjoyed riding the…

How national news outlets missed the boat on George Santos — Starting not long after President Biden took office in 2021, we’ve been reading headlines and articles predicting a big bicameral Republican midterm election win. This was even while we could see that the wind was blowing in another direction and had been since the first special election after Trump got…

Use these tips to turn your half-empty glass into a self-filling one — I used to accept worry and doubt as a permanent character flaw. Now that I know how these thoughts had the occasional ability to dominate my attitude, I’m able to make better choices of what to do and pay attention to. The result is near complete elimination of pessimistic feelings. …

despite the media talking points In December 2022, President Biden made history again. Adding another unpredicted success to the major legislative accomplishments of the administration, his party had the best results of first-term midterms in history. …

There’s comfort in both understanding our own unique difficulties and learning that the most admired people can suffer from similar things. When Michelle Obama talked about her “fearful mind” with Robin Roberts on ABC one Sunday night in November, I tuned in with a hint of “She has no idea…

The good, the bad, and the ugly — Here in east-central Iowa, we made it halfway through November with daily temps in the seventies until a 40-degree temperature drop in 24 hours. On this cold and windy day, I’m getting ready to pop in a Denise Austin workout video. I’ve kept a healthy exercise regimen pretty much all…