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Some competitions are legendary. Like when Mohammed Ali faced off against Joe Frazier in their famous Rumble in the Jungle match 50 years ago. That time pop stars Brandy and Monica dueled over a guy in their 1990’s hit “The Boy is Mine,” returning to recreate the magic in a popular Verzuz Instagram Live battle…

I’ve always dug songs about people who triumphed after facing hard times. Like disco hit “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor and “Fancy” by Reba McEntire. But one of my all-time favorites is Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You).” Its uplifting lyrics about choosing yourself over a bad relationship are more than just catchy;…

Since he was first introduced in the 1950’s television classic Howdy Doody, pop culture icon Gumby has certainly got his groove on. The limber green Claymation character, accompanied by trusty talking red pony sidekick Pokey, scored two television shows and a full-length feature movie. Eddie Murphy parodied him as a high-maintenance Groucho Marx-type celebrity on…

Some things will help you go far in life. Like saying “thank you” and “please” with regularity. Getting a good education and leveraging it with a great work ethic. Creating good karma by letting cars merge in front of you when traffic is jacked up. And right there, at the top of the list, is…

Even during a pandemic, you can overcome a negativity bias Aren’t you delighted when things turn out to be easier than expected? Like when you can suddenly see the best way to crush an intimidating project at work, find your way to a new destination even when GPS backfires or figure out how to accurately…

When the world gets chaotic, it is natural to want to burrow into your comfort zone, that place or situation where things feel comfortable, easy, and there is no testing of your abilities or beliefs. In elementary school, the physical manifestation of my comfort zone actually had a name — “Yangie.” It was a pink,…

I used to think sleep was for wimps. After all, being an insomniac throughout my teens, twenties and up until my early thirties meant I had more time for socializing, reading and getting things done. Until the day that attitude came back to kick me in the butt. I stayed up late arguing with the…

Recent times have made a couple of things feel commonplace, like Zoom Happy Hours, contactless food delivery, and expressing feelings of any sort via Tik Tok dance routines. And wherever you live, what your background might be, or whatever you do, one experience shared by so many was a sense of failure. Yup, there it…

Some things are predestined. Like how DNA ensures you get brown eyes from your mom and your dad’s double-chin. Or, barring the interference of a doomsday-sized asteroid, that ocean tides will be impacted by the moon’s gravitational pull. But one thing that isn’t set in stone is becoming a morning person. Even if you don’t…

There are a number of things that don’t make sense to me. Like calculus, the appeal of mayonnaise-based products and why the never-ending budget deficit seems to be expanding like a black hole in outer space. A real head scratcher, though, is why some people believe focusing on self-care is selfish, especially during tumultuous times.…