[I usually lean toward more uplifting stories… but here goes!] Maybe you’ve seen today’s news story of a father who filmed his daughter’s birth—while driving to the hospital. Oddly, it was introduced as a “feel-good” piece which was “guaranteed to put a smile on your face.” Says whom? As a former child protection worker and now a journalist, I’m appalled – not that one needs to be either of course, to be equally incensed. In case you missed it: http://tinyurl.com/p76zuos I appreciate birth is a magical moment. At the same time, there surely is no more delicate life than a newborn. Despite… [Read More]
The Year of No.
[HAPPY NEW YEAR! I allow myself one re-post each year, around now. I offer it as a reminder to us all – myself included – of the need to become/stay comfortable with saying no when people or obligations tip the scale and become toxic. Please consider. Also, while I have you, we’ve just switched to the domain savvylife.net, and doing so meant we lost social media data on the posts. Please know how much we appreciate the tweets, “likes” and “shares”. – Thanks, Alicia.] Could you organize the group gift? Could you babysit this weekend? Could you lend me some… [Read More]
At your fingertips …
This weekend’s New York Times magazine (p11) had a rundown of quirky items you could buy from vending machines around the world: Gold bars – Abu Dhabi (just how many coins would you need to put in?) Cupcakes – LA (sold!) Nail Polish – Paris. Hmm. Bras – Tokyo. Seriously. Live Bait – Reading, Pennyslvania. (eek). Marijuana – Boulder, Colorado. What would you like to find in a vending machine that would make your day easier? Here’s mine: A flask of uber-confidence, to be swigged before a big presentation, a job interview or when you’re about to meet your ex’s new partner. The perfect… [Read More]
Words to live by: our favorite quotes.
They’re scrawled on restroom walls, brimming with gritty wisdom. Etched on rings, on lockets, in hearts. Scrawled in diaries that reflect our journeys. Favorite words, phrases and other sayings find their way into our days. I once read that actress Sarah Jessica Parker used the word “grace” as a password, to remind her of this essential element. Here’s some of mine: “People come into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime.” – Author unknown. Not every player in our lives will be a permanent cast member. Sometimes they cross paths, play their role, and bow out. “I don’t trust anyone who… [Read More]
Laughter
Laughter is surprisingly canny (as opposed to, say, canned laughter). On the surface, it’s just an amused reaction to something funny: lighthearted, guttural, fleeting. Yet it has surprising power to ease tension at the highest levels or seal instant friendships, and its healing benefits have long been touted. You can even enroll for laughter therapy. In California. Of course. A baby’s laughter is surely one of life’s intoxicating sounds. When little ones are amused, their joyous gurgles bubble up from within. They’re fully in the moment, sometimes unaware of anyone else, perhaps fully engaged in their own toes. And it’s… [Read More]
Time
“I’ve been on a calendar, but I’ve never been on time.” —Marilyn Monroe. Each of us has a relationship with time. We might bluster through our day, lurching from appointment to appointment, or we might move like molasses, unperturbed. Society vows “faster” is better. I found a spray called a “sixty-second shower” —apparently, a few good squirts, and you’re good to go. A fast food ad proclaims “Served in nine minutes—or it’s free.” Carl Honoré is an international journalist, always jetting off to exotic locales—and always battling the clock as he races to file the story. A pivotal moment inspired… [Read More]
Handling Compliments
A lot of women struggle with compliments – and I was one of them for years. If you’re complimented on a dress, how do you respond? “Oh, this old thing?” We can make others feel silly for their seemingly questionable taste. Others think a compliment must be automatically volleyed back to the giver, something like a shuttlecock in badminton. “You look great!” gushes one girl. “You too!” squeals the other. It sounds like a scene in a slasher movie, right before the prom queen meets a grisly fate. And a Savvy Girl takes a moment to compliment an older lady…. [Read More]
The Small (small) Screen: addicted to our phones.
In a coffee shop today, I discreetly observed an elderly man with his two granddaughters, young teens who had just finished a sports game. My heart broke for him as he tried to engage them, smiling as he talked proudly about one girl’s great kick, or recounting gleefully about a dexterous move the other pulled off in the game’s final minutes. He got only grunts and rolling eyes in response. They barely looked up from their phones, hypnotized by their screens. Many others around us were similarly glued to their screens, as they had coffee and chatted with friends. Neighbors… [Read More]
One Fabulous Tip on Public Speaking
Making a wedding toast. Presenting at work. Persuading a jury you really are an upstanding citizen (despite those drunken videos online). Public speaking is a fabulous life skill, and it needn’t be a daunting one to acquire. Whether we speak to agitate, educate or entertain, being able to speak in front of others helps across social and professional settings. What’s a Savvy Girl to do? I can’t recommend Toastmasters enough (& to be clear, I don’t get a cent for endorsement.) I thought TM was a stuffy organization, full of men in tweed suits and women in twinsets and pearls,… [Read More]
The Perks of Laryngitis (really).
I’ve just shrugged off a bout of laryngitis— and despite a red-raw throat, there were unexpected perks. First: not being able to talk at my usual 90mph. At the hairdressers’, our dynamic changed. We normally chat nonstop about life, movies, and the headlines—in between solving the world’s problems (if he’d added the ten-minute hot oil treatment, we would have nailed the mid-east peace process.) Instead, I listened. And without our rapid-fire volleys, we shifted gears. To the pain of seeing his elderly mother enter a home. To his worries that his son is struggling at school. Sure, we still laughed,… [Read More]