Listen to Traci

I know – Thanksgiving was a month ago.  But this has been a pretty crappy year in a lot of ways (devastating floods, unstoppable wildfires, sexual assault revelations, starving polar bears, frightening politics), so I decided to wrap up 2017 with some gratitude. A multitude of research tells us that gratitude is good for both your emotional and intellectual well-being, and I’m a believer.  But rather than going into the scientific evidence and anecdotal proof, today I just want to talk about the things in my life that make me happy.  It’s so easy to get swept up in the negative.  I don't know about you, but I never wake up in the middle of the night and starts obsessing about everything I did right the day before (or week, month, year, lifetime before.  It’s fine, I’m fine, let’s move on).  So let’s talk about what makes me grateful.  My kids.  First and foremost, they’re awesome.  It’s true.  You probably think I’m bra...

In my first office job, women were required to wear skirts or dresses, preferably with high heels.  No pants allowed, hosiery mandatory, flats frowned upon.  Yes, I wore oversized blazers that had shoulder pads augmented by shoulder pads, with shiny blouses and long skirts. On my break, I switched my tasteful pumps for Reebok high tops for a quick power walk.  I will also confess, just between friends, to a big floppy bow tying back my poufy hair.  See that outfit on the left?  I had one almost exactly like it.  Many years later (and I think you can do the math based on the outfit), I sit at my desk in jeans, a t-shirt, a sweater and boots.  My feet don’t hurt, there are no pantyhose to run (back in those days, I always kept an extra pair in my desk for emergencies), and I don’t have dry cleaning bills to worry about.  I think I look OK.  Although I am dressed casually, my outfit is color-coordinated and (I hope) stylish.  And, ac...