Author name: Jan Whalen

Hello Beautiful, We have a million reasons to love our friends: they understand us, they support us and they know just what to say when we’re having an off day. Through the years my friends have helped me understand that there’s always a new day and a new way to look at a bleak situation. […]

Hello Beautiful, Imagine getting a call from a friend. She tells you about her frustration at work and wants to quit, then asks, “What should I do?†Unlike the Super Bowl, where several referees, line judges and armchair quarterbacks determine the outcome, our personal choices are not always objective decisions. Making decisions is a part of

Hello Beauty, Have you ever noticed that events seem to come in threes? This might be the way the Divine gets our attention. My trio of recent events involved two visits from friends of my past and the unfortunate passing of a third friend. Through these meetings and especially through the lens of death, we pay

Hello my friend, This is a happy week for our Whalen family as nephew David is graduating from Fire Academy. It’s been a long journey, yet he’s made it! As you may know, we have a huge family and his mom, sister, aunts and uncles will fly in from around the country, with fierce pride,

Dear Beautiful, During my morning walk, I was thinking about the word priorities. How do we stack the various activities that demand our attention into an order that moves us forward with our goals? Maybe it begins with the way we value our time, how we invest in our day—much like investing our money. The decision

Dear Beauty, Lately, I’ve noticed lots of optimistic statements—platitudes that speak of looking on the bright side, living out-of-the-box, seeing the glass half full.  I quote them myself, but I wonder if I and the others who sing these positive mantras would put them into practice if a devastating crisis came to our door. I’ve always admired my youngest sister,

Dear Very Cool Woman, Have you seen the latest Star Wars or Hunger Games movies? We’ve seen both and they are certainly worth it. One thing I notice is that the writers have included farewell words of good luck that get repeated—almost like slogans. In Star Wars, everyone says, “May the Force be with you,â€

Good Morning Sunshine, The other day I started thinking about the word ask and realized that I have many questions about this three letter word: Who do I ask when I have a need and what am I asking for? If I ask, am I being dependent upon someone else? Is it better to ask or figure it

Greetings Beautiful, Maybe it’s just me, but I get told to focus, focus, focus my thoughts—often. Sometimes I wish I had a spray that kept my mind from wandering, the way hairspray keeps my locks from blowing in the wind. On the other hand, I wonder if there is value in not being focused. I