“Our bodies and souls
are our gardens to which our
wills are gardeners.”
—William Shakespeare

I can’t help but smile as I drive around daily seeing the colorful, visual explosion of red bud trees, Bradford pears, tulips, snapdragons, azaleas, and all the glorious blooms of the season. This is my favorite time of the year. It’s when we all come out of our shells on Doldrums Lane and shake off the heaviness of winter to open up to the power of sunshine and nature. It is the time of year when growth likes to show out a bit, bloom fully and bask.

Ah. It almost appears that I am no longer talking about flowers, and indeed I’m not. I’m talking about personal growth—something just as beautiful and exciting as spring in full bloom!

Mother Earth has been making the talk show rounds in the
United States leading up to Earth Day on April 22.
Of course, she spoke of her relationships with both the sun and the moon,
and how they enjoy working together. “The three of us know it couldn’t work without each other. That’s why we get along so well. They really light me up!”
Mother Earth said.

After much chit chat about her favorite trees, her most recent storms and her explanation of why the sky is blue, she made sure to let every town, village and city across the world know that she loves them and wants the best for them. While Mother Earth made it clear she is a huge advocate of Earth Day celebrations all over the world and appreciates everyone taking a moment to remember her, she also made it clear, “It isn’t that complicated.”

“If you’re going to change a habit,
you must be the treatment.”
—Dr. Wayne Dyer

We have all heard the definition of insanity— doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That may well be true, but doing the same thing over and over and getting the same result is a habit, and habits keep us moving in the same direction.

One of my favorite quotes that I live by is “Change your attitude, change your world.” However, this month’s theme is about healthy habits, not attitude, so when I stopped to deeply think about habits—both good and bad—I realized my favorite quote works just as well when adapted to “Change your habits, change your world!”

We humans are a funny lot. We are smart (compared to animals)
(well, some of us), complex, advanced, emotive, capable-of-learning,
top-of-the-food-chain dominators.
However, there are some simple theories most of us just can’t seem
to absorb into our thick, upright-standing brains.

Lesson 1: Are you aware that hot pizza burns the roof of your mouth? Of course you are, and you know this because you have burned the roof of your mouth with hot pizza…more than once. And yet, for some reason, we, and I’m talking about, you and the entire human race—although 3-billion pizzas are consumed in the United States every year and only 5-billion total in the entire world, so technically this is an American problem—continue to burn our mouths on pizza at an alarming rate.

“I have found that if you love life, life will love you back!”
—Arthur Rubinstein—

I know. It’s February, the month when love takes the spotlight. Sometimes it doesn’t matter if you are a Miss, Mrs., or Ms., February can be a tough month to get through. There are so many expectations surrounding Valentine’s Day, many begin to compare their relationship—or lack of a relationship—to the unrealistic romantic fiction coming out of Hollywood, or to the love birds who constantly post their never-ending happiness on social media.

However, this month doesn’t have to be difficult. There are so many aspects of love to celebrate and so much more to the whole love thing than just being in a relationship. This year, whether you are involved in a great love affair or not, celebrate love for all it can be. Don’t let this month be anything but a reason to celebrate, for love is a many splendid thing. Here are some ideas: