travel

Perhaps the commonest resolution people make is to be happier—we all want to be more joyful, more satisfied, and a sated soul in life. But mostly, we go about it the wrong way. Instead of making happiness a goal, make it journey. Making it a goal means you will let things interfere with it, letting hurdles come into the way of true happiness. Making it a journey means you will teach yourself to smile through it all—and by the end of the year realize that your basket of joy is overflowing—enough for you to share the love and make the world a happier place!

If you’ve ever found yourself watching Tiny House Nation with a trace of envy, you may be wondering if tiny house living is right for your family. Although tiny houses may seem like practical dwellings for only singles or couples, there are growing numbers of families living in tiny houses with children. Ours is one of them.

Water permeates all facets (and faucets – pun intended) of our lives: from what we drink, to how we bathe, to where we gather to swim, kayak, ride boats, and even travel. We’ve all heard familiar phrases like “drink half your body weight in ounces per day,” and “eight cups of water per day is the minimum of what you need,” but few of us ever bother to take a look at our water.

Yes, it can be found in a well, reservoir, tap, or bottle, but few of us are familiar with the actual source: springs. 

While practicing yoga and meditation in a class or in the privacy of your own home brings about amazing health and spiritual benefits, it is every yogi’s dream to embark on the transcendental journey that only yoga retreats can provide.

Traveling, whether for enjoyment or for work, can disrupt sleeping schedules and eating habits, and create more stress than we bargained for. I’ve been in airports where the only food to eat was a greasy Chinese buffet, and gone for two days straight without sleep due to cancelled and delayed flights; likewise, I’ve been on trips where I’ve had the opportunity to indulge in fresh, organic, local cuisine and slept for 12 hours at a time.

Food, Genes, and Culture, by enthnobiologist and agrarian activist Gary Paul Nabhan, is everything you wouldn’t expect in a so-called “diet” book.

The boundaries seem limitless now that I have fully experienced life off of the grid. Traveling is amazing but it’s even better when home is wherever you roam. I’m not the only one who’s noticed this -- tiny homes and frugal living are becoming more and more popular as time goes on. My first tiny home was a Blue Bird School Bus.

Just before my first trip to India, I went in search of advice on how to avoid “Delhi-Belly” and mostly got the standard recommendation: do not, at any cost, drink the local tap water (and beware that ice is also a hazard since it is usually made from tap water).

What star sign were you born under? What effect does it have on your life, if any? As the sun has recently moved into the constellation of Sagittarius, a peek at the gemstone of the month will shed a bit of light on both the energy available within this slice of the zodiac as well as on the people born during the archer's arrows.

A Bit of History