Well Being Magazine

the lessons of the lightning bug

By Lana Turnbull Some things you just have to experience for yourself to appreciate how magical they are. One of those things is the sight of fireflies (or lightning bugs, as we called them when I was growing up in the Delta) on a warm summer night. When I was little, I’d sit on the screened porch in my nightgown, watching the tiny flickers of light and begging to stay up Read more »

Why birds sing and other lessons we can learn from nature

“A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children.” ~ John James Audubon I’ve always been amazed at the wide diversity of nature – the colorful plumage of birds, the shapes of leaves, the vast array of plants, insects, mammals, reptiles and fish, the extremes of mountains and valleys, seas and deserts, even the changing seasons, it all Read more »

I want an Oompa Loompa and I want it now!

As we were reviewing Andi Green’s The Monster Who Wanted it All for this issue’s BookShelf, about the little monster, Zelly, who could never be satisfied with what he had, I remembered one of the many memorable characters from “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” – Veruca Salt. Veruca was the poor little rich girl who demanded everything, even an Oompa Loompa. It eventually led to her demise – right Read more »

make it easy on yourself

Before you think I’m going to break into the chorus of Jerry Butler’s 1962 release about breaking up, I’m actually about to offer a much more radical concept. The idea I’m talking about is taking care of yourself, not instead of others, but in addition to others. The thing is, for many of us taking care of our own wants and needs feels selfish. The compulsion to put everybody else’s needs Read more »