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During the holiday season, it is normal for gift-giving to occupy a chunk of mental space. News sites and social media influencers galore are constantly posting annual gift recommendations that are hard to ignore. On Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop site, you can find a retrofitted electric WV Bug automobile or an Hermès skateboard while Walmart is…

Sure it was hard to find toilet paper, hand sanitizer or baker’s yeast throughout the pandemic. Looking for a new bicycle or major appliance? Bet you were out of luck. But for many individuals, the item in shortest supply over the past year has been what they needed the most — hope. While the Bureau…

From Mike Tyson to Shaq, some professional athletes have gained a reputation for excelling at using trash talk to psyche out an opponent as much as the sports they dominate. But you don’t have to possess super star status to be the target of supreme put-downs. If you had a classmate in elementary school make…

According to Trust for America’s Health, in 2020 the U.S. adult obesity ratestands at 42.4 percent. This represents an all-time high, with the national adult obesity rate increasing by 26 percent since 2008. It’s hard to beat those odds once obese and claim a healthier life. But Misty Boachie did. Her lifelong struggle with overeating…

Want to lift your spirits during these stressful times? Developing a mid-afternoon wine habit between Zoom meetings at work or consuming roughly the equivalent of your body weight in chocolate probably is not the best answer. Instead, engage in more meaningful conversations with others whenever possible. After all, science has shown that quality conversations increase…

Remember Debbie Downer, the Saturday Night Live character who always found a way to kill the mood at family celebrations by inappropriately mentioning feline AIDS, blood diamonds and whatever else is wrong in the world? She would have plenty of material to work with these days. However, there are some serious consequences to constantly diverting…

As a directionally challenged person who has gotten lost on rural highways, city streets and even certain cavernous parking decks, I consider GPS to be one of the best inventions of all time. Whatever mapping app you use though, there is one route it can’t navigate — your path in life. We all face certain…

Did your parents ever evoke the threat of the Bogeyman to get you to brush your teeth, clean your room, or eat broccoli? That imaginary object of fear, which I’m certain later inspired Jason, Freddy, and a whole host of shlocky 1980’s movie villains, could work wonders in getting kids to do stuff that they…

Ever feel like you are moving to the beat of someone else’s drum? Making decisions based on parental expectations, sticking with an unfulfilling career or relationship because it meets the “plan” you created for your life or conforming to societal guidelines when your true self would like to take center stage? Unfortunately, it happens all…

Remember the “what I did over summer break” essay that was required when returning to elementary school each year? Even when my family couldn’t afford to travel, it felt good recounting all the stuff I did outside of the classroom – like riding my bicycle for miles around the streets of Columbia, South Carolina each…