It’s that dreaded time of the year again. The time for gift giving! The time that every single store plays Christmas songs! It’s mostly the time to get creative…and visit as many festivals/outdoor markets for …

She looked like chocolate tastes and stared like Whiskey feels. I could have stood there for hours. No conception of time, locked on her eyes, sparkling blue like jagged cut sapphires under a light. She asked, with her East European accent, “would you like to have a drink?”

How much did your Halloween costume set you back?
Twenty bucks?
Did you just throw on a wig and called it a day?
Or did you make your entire costume from scratch?
Let’s face it—-Halloween celebrations are a major …

No man is an island. I remember being on the edge of age six and standing at a podium in a huge synagogue and reading that quote at my sister’s bat mitzvah. At the time, I was mostly swept into a few thoughts- including “who are all of these people and why are they looking at me like I’m a little pink satin cupcake they’re about to eat?” and “…I wonder if I can trust the person who told me that the S in Island is silent?”

More than 20 years later, I’m struck by the precision of this quote- “No Man is an Island,” and a little sheepish about how long it’s taken me to understand these words and be able to apply them.

I’d also like to ask, readers, what do you need to ask for in your life??? Post it as a comment. Or ask the people that you need this from directly.

Sometimes we just need to ask for the things we want and need.

A friend posted the following quote on his facebook today. “When life hands you lemons, if you ask nicely for help, sometimes people will make lemonade for you!”

Never were truer words spoken. You know, as I’ve come across bushels and bushels of lemons in my mid 20s and been told to make lemonade- I’ve often despaired that I don’t know how to make it. Literally.

So, if you’d like to help me make some lemonade. I’m setting up shop at this link.

http://www.sam-e.com/job/entries/507

In the time it takes to peruse the Sunday ‘want’ ads, take comfort in the fact that someone else out there has just raised an absolute killing in a ghastly attempt at feigning political dexterity.  Or …

Every winter, the best holiday comes around where you exchange gifts and drink so much eggnog surprise that you embarrass yourself until you find out the surprise is cinnamon, not alcohol. This holiday is Christmas, …

For me, there were some hard truths to confront about finding a job.

Enough is an exclamation used to indicate a lack of enjoyment of a situation or behavior. We say “Enough” but we really mean, “that’s too much- I can’t possibly handle any more of this.” Enough is just reaching a passing mark, and giving up. Enough is the amount of water needed to quench our thirst through the required mile, but not a sufficient amount of keep us from becoming parched if we feel the pull to challenge ourselves to go just a bit further than intended.

I’m turning 28 on Friday. As I entered my 27th year, I tried to say “enough” to appease a challenge I’d been trying to free myself from for several years. As soon as I took on this mentality I felt all of my defenses shutting down, though I was told to just stay strong and that I’d find that I had “Enough” strength to get myself through. And I did. Just enough that I spent a whole year treading water with just enough breath to keep from making a scene calling for help.

Just enough will never be good enough. Enough is a mistake we make, not expecting God or the universe to provide. Not thinking people will come through. Not thinking that we can thrive instead of merely get through. If all we want is to have enough, then we have already given up.