To Inspire: It’s not quite end-of-year list time –when everyone has a list of things they think you should watch or read or think. I am beating the rush and sharing a great list of simple, short habits that can improve your life. So many self-improvement ideas require some serious, lifestyle-changing effort, but these are […]

To Inspire: What book are you reading right now? I ask because the older I get, the more convinced I am that reading is a practice that provides tons of benefits. Consider the following: Reading improves brain health – Reading is great workout for the brain, stimulating our brains to process, interpret and store what […]

To Inspire: Think about the way a child reacts when they see something for the first time. An animal at the zoo, a colorful flower, or a big fire truck – they are full of wonder for everything they encounter. Why do we lose that wonder as adults? “A sense of wonder speaks of our […]

To Inspire: Lisa’s sister is in for the weekend, arrived last night. The three of us stayed up till midnight – catching up on our families and simply enjoying being together. We laughed, loved, and shared deeply and as we all headed to bed we agreed that our conversation had been a real treat – […]

To Inspire: We talk so much today about the importance of mental and physical health but how can we convince ourselves to take these things seriously? I recently read the following story from the Warren Buffett biography The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life, and it has stuck with me: Let’s say that […]

To Inspire: Matt Palmer here. Lisa and I are taking one of our daughters and her husband and children to Disney World later this fall. We’re very excited – it’s been 25 years since we last were there, when our three children were young. Thinking about the trip reminded me of some thoughts that Bob […]

To Inspire: I’m reading a fascinating book right now that I highly recommend: The Power of Moments, by Chip and Dan Heath. Researchers at Stanford and Duke, the brothers share their findings that certain experiences in our lives have extraordinary impact – some very positive and some very negative. For example, in the book they […]

To Inspire:   “Ellie, why don’t we consider traveling around the world in 80 days when we’re 80?” said Sandy Hazelip to her dear friend Ellie Hamby. Ellie leaped at the idea. While the pandemic delayed the trip, and the two were actually 81 years old during their adventures, they did visit all seven continents […]

To Inspire: Despite the television and movie cliché of the grumpy old person there’s a fair amount of research that shows people get happier as they age. Laura Carstensen from the Stanford Center on Longevity says, “As we age, our time horizons grow shorter and our goals change. When we recognize that we don’t have […]

To Inspire: Parker J. Palmer (no relation) is an author and founder of the Center for Courage & Renewal. He recently reflected on his life as he gets older and leaves his professional work behind. Regardless of age, what he shares below are some pearls of great wisdom for all of us: In recent years […]