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Gratitude journal: The unplanned, unexpected, spontaneous nap

An early dismissal from daycare because of snow convinced my wife that there would be no afternoon nap today. And 99 out of 100 days, this would be true. Then this happened. First time for everything. Probably the last time, too.  

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Another Starbucks zombie reject

A few readers were kind enough to send me this clip of another man, albeit fictional, refusing to be a Starbucks zombie. He pulls it off considerably better than I ever could.  A true man after my own heart.

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Gratitude journal: The life-altering surprise visit

My wife brought my daughter to school today for a surprise visit, appearing about five minutes after the final bell had rung to end the school day. I can’t tell you how much this reenergized me for the rest of the afternoon. A flying-leaping-death-defying hug from that little munchkin can completely change my outlook on…

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I am not a Starbucks zombie.

I recently read in the Harvard Business Review that Starbucks seeks to train its customers at nearly the same level as its employees. This is why a Starbucks cashier will convert my request for a medium coffee into a grande when passing the order onto the barista. It’s not for the barista’s benefit (since everyone…

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The positive, vicious circle of weight loss

When trying to convince a friend who wants to lose weight that exercise (not diet) is the most important part of any weight loss plan, I explain that exercise initiates the most positive vicious circle that I know. When you begin exercising, two things happen: Your appetite goes down. Your energy level increases. I didn’t…

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Gratitude journal: Time zones (I know. Weird, huh?)

Tonight I am grateful to time zones, which are usually a pain in the ass but have been a blessing to me as Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend begins publishing around the world. Thanks to time zones, I can spend my early morning hours before work speaking to my editor and publicist in the UK…

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I can only hope that my students were playing videogames or watching TV or playing with fire when Rick Santorum was speaking.

One of the most important lessons I try to teach my students is the importance of admitting a mistake and possessing the moral integrity to apologize and make it right. Ask any one of my students, past or present, how I feel about mistakes, and they will tell you that the first, best and most…

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