This summer, I had the chance to attend a couple of Nationals games at their new ball park (it opened last March). I really enjoy watching live baseball, and attend games whenever I can while traveling. There's something about the game, the fans and environment at baseball games that makes me feel happy to be there, in the moment. This made it especially cool when I found out that Nationals Park is the first Green ballpark. It is the first major league baseball stadium to be LEED Silver... Read Full Story

I'm back from a bit of a hiatus on posting. The summer has flown by! I've been busy working on my consulting business, working with my Reiki clients, starting a new business (to be announced soon), and enjoying the glorious weather! A couple of nights ago, my husband and I were having dinner at our Clare and Don's, a local "beach shack" style restaurant (great seafood and lots of fun tofu dishes, too), enjoying the perfect weather in their lively patio area. A friend who works there stopped... Read Full Story

Yesterday afternoon, we received a call from a meteorologist friend who lives in Memphis. He warned us that a ferocious storm was heading toward our area at a rate of 60 mph and that we might want to take shelter. When he called, the sky had just turned a dark gray, but there was no sign of any immediate danger. However, he seemed very concerned, so we heeded his warning and drove to the nearest sheltered garage. We sat in the cement bunker riding out the storm for about 20 minutes then... Read Full Story

For several decades, doctors have known that "sham" medical treatments, consisting of inactive ingredients like sugar, distilled water, or saline solution, can have a "placebo effect" can improve a patient's condition simply because the patient has an expectation that the treatment they are receiving will help them. According to an FDA article on placebos, "For a given medical condition, it's not unusual for one-third of patients to feel better in response to treatment with placebo." A... Read Full Story

I took this photo a couple of days ago at Dulles International Airport. I found myself thinking, "Of course the future matters. Why wouldn't I plan accordingly?" As I see it, this phrase can be taken a couple of different ways, depending on where you put your inflection on the words. On the one hand, it seems rather fatalistic, encouraging us to go ahead with our plans, pretending that the future matters. Or, a more optimistic interpretation could be that we need to look forward, to make a... Read Full Story

Yesterday, I discovered an unexpected turtle visitor in our garden. It was fun to observe his movements -- he'd sit very still for long periods of time, then scoot very quickly for a few inches, then sit motionless again. When I got too close, he would pull back into his shell and keep an eye on me. He eventually made his way to the safety of the ivy and shrubs. I was curious as to the symbolism of the turtle, so I did a little Google search. I found a site offering totem descriptions, which... Read Full Story

I have tried to be "green" all of my adult life -- driving fuel-efficient cars, taking public transportation when I could, recycling, minimizing my use of household chemicals, eating organic or pesticide-free foods. But, at times in the past, I slacked off in certain areas because it took too much time, space and effort. For example, my town didn't used to have recycling collection, so I would have to store newspapers, cans and bottles until I had enough to justify the trek to the collection... Read Full Story

As some of you may know, I volunteer for Inova Hospital's Life With Cancer program, which offers Reiki treatments for people undergoing chemotherapy (or who have recently completed chemo), as well as for their families and caregivers. I blogged about my experience as a Reiki volunteer last December. Knowing of my involvement with Reiki, a friend emailed me a link to Friday's uncredited Washington Post article "Reiki: Touching the Intangible," about how Reiki is increasingly being used in... Read Full Story

Stanford psychophysiologist Stephen LaBerge studies how people can learn to control their dreams through the use of lucid dreaming, a state of dreaming in which you are actively aware that you are dreaming. Besides helping you to overcome nightmares, LaBerge believes that lucid dreaming can help with many waking issues, including self-confidence, and improving mental and physical health. LaBerge has developed a technique called MILD (Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams), which is described in... Read Full Story

I was so happy. Yesterday was the first day of the full farmers market in my town. While the organizers had kept it open all winter, the first Saturday in May marked the re-opening of the full-size market featuring twice the number of vendors. While I have to admit that my local farmers market isn't nearly as photogenic as the one in Downtown Portland, I still have a special fondness. As regularly as we can, my husband and I make it our Saturday morning ritual to head over to the farmers... Read Full Story