We had the pleasure of staying at the Heritage Inn on the British Virgin Island of Tortola a few years ago. And for those two weeks, we became a hit with the owner’s dogs, Bozo and Dipsy; and they, in turn, became a hit with us.

A routine in our relationship with the dogs quickly developed. Each morning as Bill and I made breakfast, our two canine friends quietly appeared on the deck, breathing in the aroma of scrambled eggs and oatmeal coming from our little kitchen. It must have been the clanking of the dishes—or maybe it was simply the smell of our hot breakfast food—that signaled to them it was time to visit the nice couple from the Midwest in room #8.

Like clockwork, they’d show up and chill just on the other side of our screen door. Bozo and Dipsy would watch our every move with intense focus, in the most polite and respectful manner. They wouldn’t make a sound or bother us or interrupt our cooking procedure. Sometimes we’d pretend for a moment not to know they were there so that we could slyly watch them out of the corners of our eyes. Those sweet dogs melted our hearts!

We’d always go out on the deck to eat our breakfast, enjoying the view across the bay which looked out toward St. Thomas. The dogs stayed and watched us, barely blinking an eye. We’d talk to them and tell them our Read more »

For the very first time I have been struggling with writing my next post. I do have two full pages of great topics on following your joy that I am so excited for and can barely wait to write about! But this week I had a hard time finding the inspiration to put words together. Really, it’s a quite simple task, but I was making it too complex and got lost in my head.

And then my dear friend, Liv, magically sent this picture of her adorable little angel toddler, Truman (“Tru,” we call him), in his “JOY” outfit…and everything became clear.

First off, Tru is our godson (lucky us!). The last time Bill and I were with their family, we watched in amazement as Tru went about his little world…full of wonder, curiosity, and awe; in full-out exploration of everything in his surroundings. He threw his head back with full-body giggles when the dog did something goofy. He studied his big brother’s every movement and “Star Wars” poses as though he were learning a new trade. He gazed adoringly at his mom and dad with eyes that said “I love you” like nothing else in the world mattered.

Tru inhaled each breath slowly. He was alert and awake to everything around him. He stopped what he was doing to Read more »

[Be sure to read Is Front Row Asking Too Much?, Part I first]

There wasn’t much time to bask in the afterglow from the concert the night before. This was a new day, and tickets needed to be scored! Previously, I said I wanted front row seats for this second of two Neil Diamond shows, and in the back of my mind I wondered how realistic that really was. And after such a fantastic experience the night before, could this now be asking too much?

But I held strong. Why not?

So once again, there were no good seats available for the show that night and tickets on the broker websites were exorbitantly priced. As Bill headed out for work that morning, he pulled one of his Hawaiian shirts out of the closet and said, “I’m gonna wear this tonight. It’s my new ‘front row center’ shirt!” Have you heard that old adage: “Act as if”? Well, my trusting husband was acting as if we would be sitting in the front row. What a great attitude to choose, and I figured I better adopt it as well. I had nothing to lose!

Our plan for the evening was to get downtown early and let things unfold again. But as a back-up plan, throughout the day we searched the internet for other possibilities. In the afternoon we checked online one final time. And not only had ticket prices dropped Read more »

We’ve all had those “defining moments” when we learned something so powerful, that our life literally changed right there, on-the-spot. This happened for me when Neil Diamond came here to Minneapolis in 2005 for two back-to-back concerts. It was then that I learned the power of being clear on what you want, asking for it out loud, and declaring it to the world.

Quick backdrop: My love of Neil started in the early 80’s, when getting tickets to concerts was a whole different deal. I skipped school one day in 8th grade, standing in line for tickets for eight hours! Through the years I’ve remained a loyal and faithful fan. It’s been a fun constant in my life from the days of feathered hair and braces…to my wild college years…to maturing into adulthood…and to most recently hitting the big 4-0. Throughout it all, when Neil goes on tour, you can bet that I am there.

So on the day before the festivities back in ‘05, believe it or not, this huge fan (me) did not have tickets for the shows. While mediocre seats were available, I wanted the best. I had gotten in touch with all my connections, searched the Internet, and tried a few tricks. But I didn’t seem to be getting anywhere. I started to wonder if I was going to have to pay a fortune to get those great seats I wanted, and I wasn’t sure what to do. It certainly wasn’t a good time for us to be spending extra money, and I wondered how there would ever be good seats still available for such a high-demand entertainer?

When Bill came home from work, he could sense my turmoil about not having tickets, as the first of the two shows was closing in on 24 hours away. I told him about all the roadblocks I had come up against, and he stopped me dead in my tracks and Read more »

One of the many constants in my married life with Bill is a tradition we started when we first began dating over 17 years ago. Our favorite thing to do is to hang out at home together, relax, and enjoy each other’s company. Routinely on a Friday or Saturday night (when we’re not out hittin’ the town), we have what we call a “Personal Evening”:  Bill makes dinner for us (thank goodness I married someone who loves to cook!), and my role is to light the candles and put on the perfect music to accompany the evening.

Since the beginning, it’s always been legendary musician Herb Alpert’s tunes that perfectly fit the bill. His smooth trumpet fills the room and creates the ideal blend of relaxation, calm, and joy. And it’s just the right backdrop to complement our dinners by the fire and our deep conversations about our hopes and dreams for our future.

A few weeks ago, Bill and I were talking about how much music fills our lives and how much joy we get from seeing our favorite artists live (we’ve traveled from to New York to L.A., from Oklahoma City to Sioux City, and from Miami to Omaha to see our faves!). We got all excited reminiscing about past experiences and “feeling” what it feels like to be in the presence of live music. We also talked about the importance of continuing to make this a priority in our lives. After all, it’s following our joy in the truest sense.

The next morning to my surprise, I checked email and saw in my Inbox a last-minute announcement that Read more »

Many of you who know Bill and me have heard this story before, and many of you have even graciously paid it forward and re-counted the legendary tale to friends; everyone enjoying a good laugh at our expense. Through the years, we’ve had people who meet us for the first time say, “Oh! So you’re the couple who…” Yep, it’s us. So at your urging to share this story again—and because it definitely ties-in with following your joy—here it is in print.

Following our wedding day in ‘94 we embarked on a honeymoon cruise to the Caribbean. The week of vacation was magnificent, and it was a wonderful way to start our new lives together, especially after all the fanfare of planning a big, traditional wedding.

On the cruise ship following our first day at sea, we attended a big meeting led by the Cruise Director telling us what to expect on our first port of call—the West Indian island of St. Maarten/St. Martin.

“The island is half French and half Dutch,” he said, “And you may have heard about the nude beaches on the French side…” The group of about a hundred of us seated in the glitzy Las Vegas-style lounge snickered and giggled at the idea, but Read more »

I recently stumbled upon a willow tree near my walking path. It reminded me of when I was a kid and I used to love the willow tree in my grandparents’ backyard, where I’d hide amongst its long wispy branches. So a few weeks ago on my walk, I kept feeling a nudge to go over to the tree; to be a kid again and feel its safe protection.

But the tree was far off the path, and the grass was wet from a recent rain and I didn’t want my new running shoes to get muddy, and on and on including a ton of other excuses.

At about that same time, a good friend had her 40th birthday party at a roller rink. She rented out the entire place for a few hours and we were all invited to join in on the fun. When I was a kid, I was a fantastic skater, and I was excited to see the good ol’ neighborhood rink once again and hang out. As Bill and I were getting ready to leave the house, though, I emphatically asserted myself and said, “I’m just letting you know right now that I’m not putting on skates!”

My reaction about the burden of going over to the tree and my stubbornness about not budging with the idea of skating had me Read more »

Just then the legendary rock band’s founder and vocalist, Marty Balin, came out to do a soundcheck. We smiled and waved to him, and I’m sure it was obvious that we were excited for the concert. So Marty asked if we wanted to come backstage and hang out before the show. We enthusiastically made our way through the gate and got fitted with special wristbands. We had Marty all to ourselves for the next half-hour!

I swear, I lived another lifetime in the 60’s, even though I wasn’t born until ’69. I have always been so drawn to that era in our history when rock music changed the world. I’m sure I worked security at the Monterey Pop Festival or camped out in the Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco or sold concessions on a rainy day at Woodstock. I know that a part of my heart and soul was definitely there during those pivotal times.

So when Marty told us Read more »

You’ve heard it before. That in order to succeed, you’ve got to “surround yourself with the best.” This philosophy finally hit home for me one evening in my cardio kickboxing class, and I saw first-hand how important this is.

Previously in my class, I didn’t really exert myself or even break much of a sweat; basically, I’d been a pretty mediocre participant. We routinely paired up with a partner and one of us wore boxing gloves while the other held up pads to hit. And then we switched roles. Up until recently, I paired up with someone who was pretty much like me—strong and in-shape, but not really one to go all-out. My partner and I always had fun during our sessions and laughed a bit and talked about our personal lives in between punches. No big deal, no big sweat, and then class was over.

Each week, though, I noticed another woman who really intrigued me. She was incredibly lean, super strong, visibly very fit. During class as I practiced my punches and jabs and watched my form in the mirror, my eyes were always drawn to this same woman. She was fierce like a tiger. Beautiful with a blond pony-tail, her face was intense and her eyes laser-focused when practicing her moves.

I had a longing to be her partner to see what it would be like (even though I was actually slightly afraid because I knew she was probably capable of some pretty powerful punches!). So one evening before I left home to head for class, Read more »

One of our best vacations last year was a trip to Northern California where Bill and I spent time hiking in the Redwoods, driving along the coast, exploring the wine country, connecting with loved family members, and just being. Ten days of fantastic vacationing.

I recall being at the airport before boarding the plane back to Minneapolis. From my cell phone, I checked in with a few family members back home, and each call eagerly began with the voice on the other end saying, “So, what was the highlight of your trip?” And each time, my mind raced, struggling with a battle inside of what an appropriate response might be…you know, those “should’s.”

I felt like I should respond with, “Being in the presence of those magnificent ancient Redwoods” (which, they were magnificent!) or “Feeling moved to tears as we saw Mount Shasta making its presence known in the horizon” (which really did move me) or “Driving along the rugged California coast and looking out at the ocean” (yes, what a sight!).

But I knew that if I were to give the response that came straight from the depth of my heart and soul, it would be even “bigger” than any of those other canned answers. Simply put, my honest answer to our vacation highlight would be Read more »