Happy Haven with Brandi-Ann Uyemura

Most of the time, my dad throws out tips like the following: “Make sure you eat at that restaurant. It’s a good time to buy a house.” Or he tells me when to get my oil changed or doles out advice on anything from insect bites to being self-employed. I admit that a lot of…

“Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness.”—  Thich Nhat Hanh We often attribute our happiness to external circumstances. But in reality, how happy you are is less dependent on what happens to you and more about how you deal with it. Yet, a lot of those insidious thoughts are…

Yesterday all was well. But today? Hell broke lose and today’s an all together different story. Suddenly, your work load, your kids, your bank account, your health all need your attention and they need it now! What seemed easy to put off yesterday, feels like an emergency today. How will you manage the seemingly unmanageable? And…

Negative emotions can take a toll on even the strong at heart. Sadness can leak out a happy spirit, just as anxiety can steal away a hopeful soul. In moments when we worry, we rob ourselves of love, acceptance and the potential for courage and self-growth. But there are things we can do about it…

I know that quote’s about how hard it is to find things. But I think it may have dual meanings. If you’ve grown up like I have in a community/family/school where everyone is a haystack, it must have been hard to be the needle. Who wants to stick out like a sore thumb when everyone…

“Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.” ~ Harriet Braiker It could be a joke that I’m writing this post. After all, I’ve been known to discard drawings and crumple up grade school art projects because it wasn’t good enough. But I also may be one of the best people to talk…

There’s been something weird going on with me lately. Or maybe it’s been like this for awhile. I noticed that every time I create something, I have a tinge of something. Something that comes from a deep place, but difficult to put my finger on. I started getting signs and hints of what it could be. An…

Most of the time people throw advice around irresponsibly. They tell you to, “Buck up,” when you’re down or to, “Get over it,” when you’re in the throes of grief. A lot of times they give you advice about things that they haven’t even learned to do themselves. I call that being unconscious. All that…

I spent the long holiday weekend in Georgia where my husband and I had one adventure after another. We saw alligators, hiked through the sweltering heat, and biked in a downpour. But of everything we saw, witnessed, and adored, it was a single activity that brought me back to peace. And why Georgia’s still on…

Whenever I pass a man or woman in military uniform, I feel overcome with gratitude. I wish I could say aloud what I’m thinking in my head. I wish I had the courage they have. I wish I had their strength, their valor. I wonder if everything I do in this lifetime will always pale…

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