Your current favorite book is

"Happy Birthday, Little Pook" by Sarah Boynton. You can pick the book out of the several dozen that sit on the bookshelf. While you can't read yet, you like flipping through the pages.

Presidential Election

Today, Donald Trump was elected president. I don't know what the future holds, but I hope things turn out right for all of us.

Happiness in a Swing

For you life is filled with simple joys... A couple of wishes on a Swing can make your day. Life might complicated sometimes in the future, but remember to give yourself these little moments of zen

Pizza with friends can be better than Cavier alone (most of the time)

Right now we are all eating top notch pizza, and I worry that I’m making you and your sister latent food snobs. While I want you to appreciate good food. I want you also to realize that sometimes it is ok to eat less than awesome food if it means spending an awesome time with friends and family. That doesn’t mean that I don’t personally enjoy doing/eating food alone - don't be afraid of being alone for short periods of time either, I find it quite rejuvenating as an introvert actually.

Just that you should be conscious and accepting of suboptimal circumstances when hanging out with friends. I hope that makes sense.

Fake it till you become it

This is actually based on a lot of scientific studies, but not only does our posture communicate non-verbal cues to others, it actually subconsciously guides our own emotions. I know it's weird, but our brains have trouble knowing what emotions we are feeling and takes cues from our own self-image to figure it you. So standing tall and proud will actually make you a little prouder and a little bolder. This is why gymnasts and swimmer do their victory pose BEFORE their routine... to be themselves in the best mindset. 

It's ok to cry

I just want to tell you that it is ok to cry, to feel sad if something bad happens or if things don't go your way, your ice cream falls on the ground, or if your soccer team loses. Crying is a natural human reaction and it always good to be aware and accept how you feel. However,realize that you will not always feel sad and wanting to cry. You feelings are like clouds floating by in the sky, they might block the sun for a while, but the sun is still there behind the clouds, and soon it will appear again. So too will you feel better and no longer sad.

Beloved posessions

Remember that all physical goods can be replaced - a favorite jacket, a nice bag. The reason that they become more precious is because they symbolize good memories and feelings from our past. However a lesson it took most of my childhood to realize is that they aren't the source of the good memories, they are just a reminder of those memories. That is part of the reason I like photography, it is an easier, more compact what for me to index into the vast library of my own memories. I hope you  to do not get too caught up in material possessions. #pseudobuddhism #materialworld