Featured articles
A few specially selected articles from each new edition will be available in this convenient space. Access all editions here.
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Thanksgiving with Sparkle and a Twist
>I’m a sentimental fool. Sentimental and contradictory. I love ceremony and tradition, yet I’m compelled to add my own shine to anything I do. In the family I grew up in, Thanksgiving included all the standard American traditions, but the holiday was meh, just something for my Italian mother to get through on the way…
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Deck the Halls, Not Your Plate: How to Cut Holiday Cravings
>The holiday season is filled with delicious temptations that can make it hard to stick to your health goals. November and December often feel like a whirlwind of party after party, with every event offering a spread of irresistible treats that bring back memories of holidays past. From your grandma’s famous cookies to the decadent…
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Co-Parenting with a Narcissist During the Holidays
>Dear Grayce, The holidays are approaching, and I dread dealing with my ex-husband. My ex is a narcissist, and every year, he uses this time to manipulate plans, guilt-trip me, and twist everything to make me look like a bad parent. I want to protect my kids from the chaos but always feel exhausted and…
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The Right
>The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That is what everyone wants in the world. What if that was just taken from you in a blink of an eye? What if you had no say? What if someone puts you in that situation? I dated a woman awhile ago. We were very…
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Heroes of Helene
>Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc across the Appalachian region, particularly affecting western North Carolina, northeast Tennessee, and southwest Virginia from September 24-28. After the storm, severe flash flooding led to dam failures and the destruction of bridges, significantly impacting the Nolichucky River. The river’s course was altered, especially in Erwin, TN, in Unicoi County, where landslides…
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ADHD: Growing in Your Own Light
>I love bookstores. If I could crawl up and fold myself between the spines of my favorite novels, you would forever find me resting there. For years, I strolled past the Self-Help aisle, reluctant to enter, anticipating a kind of Knott’s Scary Farm experience where ominous demons follow people around. One day, many years ago,…
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The High Cost of Surface-Connecting
>Across America and in many other parts of the world, we meet at Chamber of Commerce breakfasts or for coffee, or we join private clubs and we exchange business cards and a promise to follow up in a couple of weeks. It’s a time-honored ritual. People need interaction, and if you also happen to constantly…
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The Big Lie of DEI
>DEI stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Diversity is normal life for most of us. Inclusion makes that nice. Equity, however, is a problem. In fact, the first time I was exposed to this baseball game analogy, I used it to teach faulty logic in a college literary analysis class, certainly not the textbook authors’…
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The Ripple Effect of Appreciation
>During a family gathering last holiday season, Sarah gave her brother a simple handwritten note. It wasn’t a grand gesture—just a few lines of thanks for his support during a challenging time. To her surprise, this usually reserved brother was moved to tears. He never knew how much his presence mattered until he read her…
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Something Greater Than Yourself
>College taught me more life lessons than I would have ever thought possible, but it is soccer that crystallized them. AYSO, Region 14 in West Torrance is the first established organization of youth soccer in the United States. Thousands of children have come through registration, picked up their uniforms, and stepped out onto the school…
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Optimize Your Health This Fall: Immunity, Fitness & Sleep
>As the vibrant colors of fall emerge and the air begins to cool, our body and mind undergo a transition that can affect our overall well-being. This season is a crucial time to focus on holistic wellness, particularly in boosting immunity, staying active, and getting good sleep. By embracing these interconnected aspects of health, we…
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Politics and Partnership: Navigating Love Amidst the 2024 Election
>Dear Grayce, How can I have a healthy relationship with my partner who strongly supports a political candidate, specifically in the 2024 election in America, while I hold differing political views? Navigating and maintaining a healthy relationship with a partner who supports a different political candidate, especially during a heated election season like 2024, can…
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The Lowest Power
>There is something that screams to me! It tastes so bitter. Why is it that people with disabilities get so much hate? I have seen so much BS. Be it with my friends or myself. It has to stop! Imagine that you see a post to a person with a disability that says, “You are…
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Good Vibrations in Hawaii
>A few years ago, just before I left for Hawaii, my 77-year-old friend told me about her recently purchased spot massager and suggested I buy one to take on my trip. Since stress goes to my back, I thought good idea, and asked her for the link. The next day, our conversation went like this:…
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The Little Farm Girl
>Arnold Knodel, my dad, grew up on a North Dakota farm back when tractors were replacing horses. My grandfather made the switch before I was born. Farming was probably easier, but I bet it was sad not to have horses anymore. My parents were working their own farm when my brother and I were…
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The Olympic-Level Toughness (and Grace) of Tim Collins
>The Olympic Flame is now extinguished until next time. Athletes, parents, coaches, trainers, celebrities, TV personalities and viewers like you and me have gone back to our version of normalcy. For a few weeks, we escaped to the competition, listened to stories about athletes we were meeting for the first time and our familiar favorites.…
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Award-winning Via Transilvanica!
>Diana invites us on a journey to discover the amazing Via Transilvanica and its contribution to the global cultural heritage. Just a short distance from the Eastern border of the European Union, only 2-3 hours from all major capitals of Europe, the magical trail of Via Translvanica awaits its travelers all year long. It’s incredible to think that in…
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Navigating Life with the Power of Values
>Values serve as our internal compass, guiding our actions, decisions, and interactions. Identifying one’s values is crucial in understanding who we are, what drives us, and how we relate to the world. This exploration is not just a mental exercise but an emotional journey that profoundly shapes our existence. Our fundamental beliefs dictate how we…
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When the Pursuit of Money Hurts Your Love Life
>Ah, the age-old dilemma: balancing the pursuit of cold, hard cash with the warm, fuzzy feelings of love and connection. It’s a tale as old as time—or at least as old as capitalism. You’re cruising along, career thriving, money pouring in, and suddenly, you notice your partner giving you the side-eye, wondering when you last…
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Toddler Trouble in Arizona
>A few weeks ago, I went to a Mexican Restaurant in Wickenburg, AZ, with some family and friends. The food was delicious, the service excellent, and we were having a great time catching up. Nonetheless, because there were quite a few of us and because of the outrageous cost of everything these days, dinner was…