Disaster distress is all around us, and of course it takes a toll on our personal well-being. You probably escaped the high-water horrors of Hurricane Harvey and the massive monster that was Irma, but there’s no getting away from the images and reports of death and destruction in Texas, in the Caribbean, in Mexico and Florida, devastation on such a crushing scale, it sinks our spirits just thinking about it.

Flattened houses, floating cars, entire communities destroyed, overcrowded shelters turning families away: day after day of horrifying stories about abandoned pets, people trapped, lives lost, everything gone, starting over amidst the rot, the mold, the stink, the suffering.

They may be the last thing you put on, but scarves can instantly transform anything you wear. Take a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, add a silky swath of flowers and tassels and you’ve got a whole new way of greeting the world. Oh, yeah, they can keep you warm, too! So many possibilities, so little time. You’ll want to tie one of these scarves on this fall:

Of all the things America worships—the Tesla, the Google, the sour-cream-and-onion potato chip­—the flat stomach is one of the hardest to achieve. Photoshop is a big help, as are simpler airbrushing techniques, but for most people, looking down, belly fat is as normal as cotton socks on little kids. It’s just how it is.

Maybe not. Let’s review some basic body-fat facts to educate and inspire you to get a handle on belly fat. You can’t wish it away, but once you understand it, you can take action.

What Laurie Brown wasn’t looking for something else to do. As the founder and owner of Aunt Laurie’s, she puts in long hours promoting and managing her growing business. Driven by a passion to help individuals with disabilities, Aunt Laurie’s mission is to inspire others to acknowledge human value in everyone—one gift at a time. Every Aunt Laurie’s gift basket is hand woven and assembled at the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department in Beaufort by clients, who are overcoming disabilities.

Laurie used SC Lowcountry SCORE, which provides free volunteer business advice, to help launch her business. When her SC Lowcountry SCORE mentor asked her for suggestions regarding a proposed women’s event, she quickly dove into the planning of the Thrive Lowcountry Women’s Conference.

Some people dream of big houses, fancy cars or exotic travels. Inés Figueroa dreamed of having a fashion show. Her great-grandmother, grandmother and mother were all seamstresses. Being one of 13 girls in a family with 17 children, Inés and her sisters were destined to learn to sew. As a child, her mother sat all the girls down and taught them, starting with buttons and hems. By the age of 15, Inés had honed her skills so proficiently, her high school home economics teacher enlisted her help in teaching her classmates to sew. Inés has a gift for sewing with meticulous precision and an eye for detail. She is a beautiful seamstress, both inside and out.

What started as a small group of families gathered around a kitchen table in 1979 has blossomed into the nation’s leading voice on mental health. Today the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is an association of hundreds of local affiliates, state organizations and volunteers who work in communities across the US to raise awareness and provide support and education that was not previously available to those in need. Our local affiliate is NAMI Lowcountry.

I’m going to skip over the obesity statistics for the moment. Let’s just sum it up by saying that every third person in the country is trying to lose weight. It’s not on everyone’s mind—some folks are joyfully roasting chocolate-covered marshmallows over campfires—but with so many millions of American’s dieting, you get tons of people who lose... lose... and then they plateau. The needle gets stuck.  

In spite of your best behavior—eating real food and smaller portions, exercising more—suddenly, your body simply stops losing weight. It’s a very common problem and also very frustrating. Oh Lordy, what’s happening?

I have two new numbers in my contacts that I will keep under “I” for “Inspiration.” They are 843-524-4281 and 843-379-8145. Try them! Dr. Jonas’ answering machine messages will make you smile in spite of the day you’re having. I even called them again to make my husband listen.

I met Dr. Gadson at his church, the Beaufort Church of Christ, on Highway 170 on a sweltering Monday in August. He met me cheerfully at the church door in an impeccable “Sunday” suit, and offered me a cold bottle of water. That sums up Dr. Gadson. He is positive, upbeat, on time and ready to serve his fellow human beings. I mentioned I liked his sign out front “Love One Another,” particularly after the terrible weekend in Charlottesville filled with hate. He agreed, and said he knows that we are living in terrible times, but he was chosen “for such a time as this.”

“In olden days, a glimpse of stocking was looked on as shocking. But now, God knows, anything goes!” Cole Porter may have written the song, “Anything Goes” way back in 1934, and there still may be very few fashion trends that shock us anymore, but there will always be something new to wear every time the seasons change. Here is a quick look at 10 of the trends you’ll get a kick out of this fall.

Women are far more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than men. According to the Susan G. Komen organization, men have a 1 in 1000 chance of getting breast cancer compared to women in the U.S. who have a 1 in 8 chance. This year 2,470 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer.

Last year, Dennis Lauzon of Hilton Head Island was one of those men. He was hanging out at the pool with his family when one of his daughters noticed a lump on his chest. “That looks funny, Dad,” she said. Dennis said he’d had that lump since he was a teenager, nearly 60 years. As a kid he had it checked out, and back then doctors reassured him there was nothing to worry about at his age, and it was probably a swollen gland of some sort, and that had been the end of it. It wasn’t only Dennis’ daughter who expressed concern. His son, a surgeon, who was also at the pool that day, took a closer look and encouraged him to have it checked out.

Did you know September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month? Few people do. It isn’t marketed like some adult cancers—there’s no colorful ribbon or cute slogan to talk about this devastating side of the disease.

“Childhood cancer is brutal,” said Brandon Arrieta, co-founder of Lambs for Life. “It wrecks families. It’s a destructive force, and no one’s really talking about it.”

But Brandon and Caroline Arrieta of Hilton Head Island are changing the conversation, one child at a time. Their nonprofit, Lambs for Life, has three methods of outreach—legislative action, educational programs and delivering Lamby Packs to children who are hospitalized with cancer.

The Lost Paws of the Lowcountry has grown over the past two years to a formidable army of foot soldiers and flyer distributors. Their mission: to return lost and runaway dogs to their rightful homes. Nothing stands in their way when they’re on the hunt—they regularly climb trees, sink to their knees in mud, and forage in unfamiliar territory. And their hard work pays off; they have over a 90 percent success rate. The dedication and passion of the founding members is truly incomparable and inspiring. But their story starts simply—with one five-pound Maltipoo named Ellie.

If the word “budget” is like nails on a chalkboard for you, you’ve got a friend in me. I know that feeling.

Dear Carrie, My mom just passed away at 66 years old and left me her IRA. I’m 41. When do I need to start taking the Required Minimum Distributions (RMD)? —A Reader

“A woman does not simply wear a dress: she lives in it,” said the famous French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy. And there’s no better time than summer to take a look at the newest ways to make one-piece dressing work for you. From minis to maxis, whether you’re attending a wedding, a celebration, or just a backyard barbecue, there’s a dress you can live in for every occasion.Here’s what’s making the best-dressed list this summer:

If you grew up before the new millennium, chances are you had a very different childhood than the young girls growing up now. You rode a bike to your friends’ houses around the neighborhood without worrying your parents. You had to ask before using the family phone, meaning that most of your friendships took place face-to-face. And if you were a Girl Scout, you worked for merit badges and sold cookies—usually, door to door, to neighbors and friends.

New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe is making waves with her newest book Beach House for Rent, which was released on June 20. I’m no stranger to Mary Alice Monroe’s books, and as always, she managed to hit home both figuratively and emotionally with her new masterpiece. She brings a strong story line threaded with an important environmental concern to the “table” (or nightstand in my case), and I always finish her book knowing more, while feeling like I haven’t been schooled.

Summer is the perfect time to practice de-aging, a wonderful thing I discovered years ago on this tiny island in Southeastern Greece, where I’m grateful to live, work and overdo it on fresh feta several months a year.

Summer is here and so is the extreme heat. Expect rising temperatures, melting polar caps and a need to rethink and refresh your warm-weather workouts to prevent that killer of all dreams: boredom. 

We sat around the boardroom table in our monthly creative meeting brainstorming how we could be creative for our “Be Creative” issue. We didn’t have to look any farther than Main Street, Hilton Head, to find a community of artists and an abundance of creative opportunities just waiting. We decided to take a Pink Team field trip to participate in an Oyster Shell Crafting class at Art & Soul.

The fact that you’re on vacation doesn’t mean you have to look like you left your sense of style at the bottom of your wine glass. You can still relax without looking like a hot mess. Here are a few tips to keep your cool and have a great time this summer, no matter where your travels take you.

I fell in love with New York Times Bestselling Author Patti Callahan Henry’s writing after I met her at the Savannah Book Festival a few years ago. I attended her book talk during the festival and purchased one of her books—The Stories We Tell. It was a page-turner, filled with Southern grace, mystery, heartache, family and fulfillment. It spoke to me deeply. I was hooked.

There’s something special about the relationship a man has with his chair. Curiously, we wanted to see some of the chairs our local Beaufort County men are attached to, and therefore, went looking for a few good men. We did a good job finding them, and not only did they have a favorite “chair,” creative as it may be, but a lot of heart as well!

Even the mention of words like “frugality” and “thrift” send some people over the edge because for them, those words conjure up thoughts of poverty and deprivation.

They assume that cutting costs is tantamount to diving into dumpsters to find one’s next meal. No wonder so many people prefer a life of debilitating debt to one of frugality.
Let me set the record straight. Please.

There are many reasons why you should wear sunglasses. Most importantly, a good pair of glasses with strong UV protection help keep your eyes safe from the sun’s damaging rays. This can help to prevent future problems, such as glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration, which can lead to blindness. For some people who are sensitive to light, sunglasses can prevent headaches and migraines trigged by the sun. Also, a cool pair of shades are a great way to accessorize your outfit and make a bold fashion statement. With so many colors, shapes and styles to choose from, there is a pair for every look…and one is never enough!

First, I need to share with you, that I am not a frequent book reader. Why? I think it’s the commitment of time. I just don’t seem to have blocks of time to fill, and that’s exactly why this first novel by local talent L.K. McCall impresses me so. Laurie (L.K.) McCall has two sons, a husband and full time job, so what’s my problem?  She managed to craft a skillfully written tale on top of her full daily life, the least I can do is read it.

There’s the bar, barre and now…flower bar? 

That’s right, flower bar! So what’s the scoop? Flower Bar is retail shop 

Branches newest take on a fun girls’ outing. “Design • Sip • Take Home” is their mantra, and ladies are going to love it. I did!

When it comes to our criminal justice system we can agree on one thing—we all want prisoners to come out better than when they went in. When it comes to rehabilitation for re-entry, there’s disagreement about providing education to our incarcerated populations. Some say it’s a misuse of dwindling government funds. However, we have to decide what kind of neighbors we want—ones with less than a high school education, and on top of that, unaddressed behavior and addiction problems? Or, ones who have taken steps to overcome obstacles, cultivated their character, processed their situations, found their voices and improved their communication skills, all of which makes them more eligible to become an upstanding, taxpaying contributors to society, as well as to their families?

Let’s start with the bad news. Yes, it can get a little ugly out there when you schlepp through dozens of swimsuits that leave you feeling stripped bare of any small amount of confidence you ever had. So instead of scouring through racks and racks, take a few minutes and dive into the latest swimwear options available right at your fingertips before you head to the stores.