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Wisdom Wednesday: When You Can’t Be There and the Plan Still Changes
When you are preparing to welcome a child into the world, planning becomes a form of comfort. Appointments are scheduled, lists are checked, and a birth plan is carefully discussed with medical providers. You imagine who will be in the room, how the day will unfold, and the role you will play when the moment…
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Why ‘Things I Will Not Do’ Can Change Your Life
It is December 1st, and aside from scoring some amazing Cyber Monday deals and adding far too many “Buy Now” items to our carts, we have entered that season. Resolution Season. The time of year when Planet Fitness commercials whisper, “Next year is your year,” and all of us nod along, thinking, Maybe I will…
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Tuesday Tip: The Starbucks Bear Craze — A Masterclass in Scarcity Marketing
Imagine being one of the most recognizable coffee brands in the world, yet watching your sales slump, boycotts trend online, and shareholders grow restless as Q4 begins. What do you do when your halo starts to dim? If you’re Starbucks, you collaborate with Hello Kitty and drop a limited-edition Bearista Glass Cup that instantly breaks…
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Manic Monday: Of Bears, Buses, and Beltway Blunders
It’s just another Manic Monday, as The Bangles so perfectly sang, and today, the internet is buzzing louder than a coffee grinder at dawn. Between viral Starbucks hysteria, government shutdown drama, and promises of “free” everything in New York, you’d think it was a full moon. Let’s start with the latest caffeine craze. Starbucks has…
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Thankful Thursday: The Gift of Water
It’s November, a month traditionally steeped in gratitude, yet the world feels heavy right now. Wars rage across the globe, the economy feels uncertain, a government shutdown has disrupted travel and strained food banks, and late-season Hurricane Melissa has left communities reeling. In moments like these, it can be hard to find reasons to be…
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Wednesday Wisdom: Tough Cities Rise Again — Youngstown’s New Chapter
“Tough times don’t last. Tough cities do.”Those words, painted boldly on the side of Penguin City Brewing in downtown Youngstown, aren’t just a mural. They’re a mantra, a reminder that even after decades of loss and hardship, resilience still runs through the veins of this Rust Belt city like molten steel once did. From Steel…
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It’s Still the Economy, Stupid: A Gen X Reflection on Cycles, Struggle, and Survival
In 1992, James Carville,Bill Clinton’s campaign strategist, coined a simple yet powerful phrase that would echo through the decades: “It’s the economy, stupid.” It was a blunt reminder that no matter how complicated the political noise gets, what matters most to the average American family is the cost of living, job security, and whether bills…
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Sunday Funday: The Price of Magic
I was five years old in the summer of 1979 when my parents loaded up the car — no GPS, no iPads, just a paper map that folded like origami and an endless chorus of “Are we there yet?” We were headed south from Ohio to sunny Florida to visit friends in Daytona Beach. Their…
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The Dark Side of “Easy Money” — Why TokReviews Isn’t What It Seems
HELLO YOU. If you’ve been scrolling TikTok lately, you may have stumbled on videos promising you can “earn hundreds just by reviewing TikToks.” The link they share? TokReviews.com — a slick-looking site dressed up in TikTok branding and dripping with promises of quick, easy cash. At first glance, it feels legit. You click the link,…
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Tuesday Tip: When Preparedness Meets Poverty — Surviving the SNAP Cuts with Wisdom from the Past
The irony isn’t lost on me. September was National Disaster Preparedness Month, a time meant to encourage households to stock up, have a plan, and stay ready. November is National Gratitude Month, a time when we’re reminded to give thanks and share abundance. But here we are in October, a bitter bridge between preparation and…
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Swifties Sunday: When the Music and the Artist Grow Up
There’s a strange tension in the air every time Taylor Swift releases a new album. You can feel it on TikTok, in the comments, and across X (formerly Twitter): fans dissecting every lyric, defending or denouncing the new sound, and ultimately deciding whether she’s “still the same Taylor.” This week, it’s The Life of a…
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ThrowbackThursday | Keyboard Warriors & The Cost of Disrespect
Mike Tyson once said:“Social media made y’all way too comfortable with disrespecting people and not getting punched in the face for it.” As a Gen Xer, I can’t help but nod in agreement. We grew up in an era where you had to say things face-to-face. You knew there were consequences if your words cut…
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