This year’s resolutions were designed to help me build resilience to stress, but healthy behaviors tend to fall by the wayside in tough times. As of July I’m giving myself a D, but that’s actually not too bad considering the majority of people give up their resolutions by February. My next assignment is figuring out how to prioritize my wellbeing for the remainder of 2026.
One of the best things you can do to fight sickness while traveling is to go in with a robust, healthy gut. Strong gut microbiomes take time and discipline to cultivate, but they, in turn, keep us healthy on a number of fronts, physically and mentally. I’ve been tracking my own progress in rebuilding my gut after a course of antibiotics this spring.
My experience is that most people feel reluctant about giving life advice because they’re still figuring life out themselves. My experience is that most people receiving life advice don’t quite know what to do with it… until they reach a point where lived experience makes it relevant. For my 42nd birthday, I revisited a compilation of life advice assembled for me on my 21st.
Now is the time for series finales. The last episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Lost share space in my May 23 memories, but my thoughts are on the recent Late Show Finale and the tumultuous changes we’re seeing in the world right now. There are lessons to be learned from each of these shows, whether or not we’re ready to accept them.
Most of our clothes today are made with plastic, which tends to be cheaper than natural materials but leads to pollution, climate change, negative health impacts, and more money spent in the long run compared to investing in quality garments and maintaining them. Unfortunately, many of us lack the necessary money, time, or requisite skills to opt for the more sustainable option.
The end of this series is not the end of this exploration. Looking into the historical influences of religion on cuisine has made me more curious about what modern influences shape the choices we make today in an increasingly global society. It also feels, to me, that in an increasingly chaotic world, the small decisions we make for ourselves are even more important.
Physical exercise, play with others, and mental down time are all critical to build resilience to stress, but the majority of us abandon efforts to adopt healthy New Year’s behaviors before the end of January. With record levels of stress in my life and on the world stage, I for one am in desperate need of resilience, however I can manage to create it.
Countries I have called home (and that my ancestors called home) have problematic aspects to their histories, and I worry that celebrating the good can seem like I’m ignoring the bad. After wrestling with history, optics, intention, and impact as a tourist in Germany, I think there’s an effective way to elevate what we’ve learned from darker days and celebrate efforts to do better.
The hardest thing any pet parent will have to do is make the choice to end suffering. It’s not something we care to think about, but it is perhaps the most important way we can show up for the ones who love us the most. My vet supported me through the worst experience of my life, but I realized that these professionals need support too.
Another summer has gone by, and I am woefully far behind on my pollinator garden. Once again, life events kept me on the couch and out of the garden for the second year in a row. While I was upset that I wasn’t more productive, the garden is starting to take care of itself, which was – honestly – part of the plan all along.