How our beliefs can hold us back and impact our mental health — Every life is lived within a set of beliefs. Our beliefs tell us what we think is possible for ourselves and in our lives. They guide our behavior and influence our values. …

A friend recently shared her struggle when her toddler was going through some behavior issues. — “I just freaked out — like I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing!” Parenting, like anything else, is learned by doing. And because no two humans are exactly alike, we learn lessons we’ll never use again. …

A retelling that isn’t about the whale — The story of Jonah and the whale is familiar in popular culture and is even referenced secularly. Jonah and the whale (or “big fish”) are depicted in the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament) as well as the Quran of Islam. How highly Jonah is regarded as a prophet depends on…

Anything is possible when you believe — Yes, I believe in the magic of Christmas wishes. If you wish for some arbitrary thing that’s not really important to you — maybe not. But if you wish for something you really want — if you spend the weeks leading up to Christmas thinking about your wish every day…

Stop setting arbitrary goals to beat yourself up about later — The time is coming when 190 million people will ring in the New Year by setting themselves up for disappointment. Why is it that we decide January 1 needs to be the day we start? Start losing that 20 pounds. Start exercising regularly. Start spending more time with our kids. …

We know what we know — I remember sitting in the basement of our family home, navigating the controller of our Super Nintendo with short fingers, mastering the art of making Mario jump on the backs of turtles. I’ve called at least five other places home since then, but I can still picture this one. The…

And I still don’t know what to do with my life — For as long as I can remember, I’ve associated my sister with space. When I was 6, and they were 10, we would huddle over The Big Book of Space on our bedroom floor. “Ooh, look at that!” I’d say, pointing at the swirls of color around Jupiter’s Red Spot…

There are over 2,000 species of cacti, but none more iconic than the mighty saguaro. — Pronounced suh-waa-roh, these cacti can stretch over 40 feet tall; the tallest one on record was 78 feet tall! Saguaros are native to the Sonoran Desert, one of the four deserts in North America. The Sonoran Desert stretches from Sonora, Mexico, north into Arizona, and west into southeastern California. And…

Our mission and how to submit your writing — There is one fact that has remained constant throughout all existence: everything we have comes from the land. For thousands of years, humans have walked the earth — taking more than steps, leaving behind more than footprints. We, like all other creatures, change our environment simply by existing in it. …