…by Julie Clark Robinson I remember one summer not too long ago when I felt that I had lost custody of the back of my minivan for the summer. Instead of having room for groceries, I had four arm floaties, three towels, two pairs of water shoes, a killer shark boogie board and a big plastic tote bag. In the big bag I had two paint brushes, two buckets, three water balls, two pairs of goggles, a dolly, a squirty bottle of sunscreen, two boats, a torpedo, a whale squirt gun and a little plastic bag. The little bag held my car keys, some cash, my cell phone and some loose change – including,... Read More

…by Suzanne Falter Barnes For many Net marketers, marketing is a love-hate relationship. We love the traffic and sales that a good push brings … but we have to force ourselves to do it. So lately, I\’ve been looking for systems anyone can implement that get the job done while you\’re pursuing other interests. The Net really is designed to do exactly this – so let\’s take advantage of it. Please do note, these tasks are specifically chosen for anyone who is interested in building platform – or attracting a much broader audience so they can be appealing... Read More

…by Prill Boyle It\’s hard to tell whether Nora Ephron, the wonderfully witty author of I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman, is being serious when she declares: “This insistence on the joy of aging…is all garbage.” But if she is, I couldn\’t disagree more. While growing old has its obvious perils (knee replacements are no fun!), it also has its pleasures. I just returned from eating dinner with nine women who are well into Ephron\’s “third act.” (At 53, I was by far the youngest.) One is learning to play the cello.... Read More

Facing the diagnosis. I have discovered that most serious, chronic, or even life-threatening illnesses are rarely anticipated even when there is a family history that may indicate a genetic predisposition for that illness. Women who are overly attentive to their bodies and visit their doctors too often (i.e., suffer from hypochondriasis) are as equally shocked when a serious illness is diagnosed as those who considered themselves very healthy and visit the doctor rarely. The symptoms of minor illness such as colds, flu, allergies, bladder and vaginal infections are easily identified, widely... Read More

…by Julie Clark Robinson         Usually I can write my way out of any kind of emotional burden. I\’ve learned that when my chest is heavy, if I just give myself enough time at the keyboard, the problem invariably ends up on the paper in front of me – not stuck in a knot in my heart. An anxiety that exists on a piece of paper, I can handle. But this time – with the sudden death of my teenage niece Sarah – words just aren\’t enough. As an author, I know that every word I select needs to be precisely right for the meaning I am trying to convey. I don\’t... Read More

…by Mary Pearsall Are you thoroughly and utterly confused about the different types of fat – what you should avoid and what you should include in your diet? Join the club! Recent research on the health advantages and disadvantages of various fats and oils has left the majority of us confused about what to take to the checkout stand and what to leave on the shelf. Low fat diets were all the rage for years, and now we are told that we actually need to eat fat to maintain a healthy and well rounded diet! Yes, it is true that fat is on located on the food pyramid and... Read More

…by Prill Boyle This has been my “year of yes.” I said yes to Africa when my Peace Corps friend invited me, yes to Amsterdam when my husband asked, and even yes to speech-giving lessons when a woman I met at a party offered them. After years of practicing saying no, I\’m loving saying yes. The phrase “the year of yes” comes from a book of the same title by Idaho native and aspiring playwright Maria Dahvana Headley. Feeling like she\’s “dated and then hated every man in Manhattan,” Headley resolves to stop being so picky and say yes to anyone... Read More

Is Singleness a Blessing or a Curse? I think many single women looking at the title of this month\’s column are likely to take exception to the thought that being single is a gift. Unless, of course, they have just extricated themselves from an abusive situation; in which case, they are breathing a momentary sigh of relief. But in the long run, most women consider singleness, whether widowed, divorced, never married, or simply flying solo as a life status filled with loneliness, longing, discrimination (in a coupled world), extra chores, and a sense of unfulfillment. Yes, there are a scattering... Read More

…by Suzanne Falter Barnes 1. Stack the facts up front. Begin with your most impressive facts. “Mary Louise Green is a nationally known painter whose work has appeared in numerous major gallery exhibits.” (Mary Louise has, in fact, only shown in four galleries, but they were in different parts of the US, so that counts as ‘numerous\’ and ‘national\’.) 2. Don\’t ramble on about passions and purpose. This bio needs to sell you, not your philosophy. You can mention it in passing (“which helped her discover a deep love for teaching art.”) Generally,... Read More

…by Prill Boyle We are born to dream. Think about it. Where would we be, who would we be, without our dreams? Most of the great inventions of the world, much of the forward movement of human civilization, have been fueled by dreams. So it should come as no surprise that for many of us, finding purpose means putting our dreams into action. For the past seven years, I\’ve been interviewing people who later in life have done just that. And in writing a book about the experience, I realized a dream of my own. Analyzing what I\’ve learned in the process and how it might apply to... Read More