Where is Your Happy Place?

Do you have a happy place? Perhaps you have several. A happy place is one where we feel good, inspired, comforted, and, well, happy. I love being outdoors in beautiful settings, but only when the weather isn’t too warm or too cold. I also love being snuggled under a blanket with a warm puppy curled up next to me and a good book in my hands. Unfortunately, I can’t always be at the beach or hiking in the woods or curled up with my dogs and my books. But I can create happy spaces in my every day life. I Read More

You Are Special: Mr. Rogers Says So

My husband and I recently watched Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, a highly acclaimed documentary about Fred Rogers and his long running public television show, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.  I have childhood memories of watching the show, but they are pretty vague. As a child, I did not realize what Mr. Rogers was trying to teach me. I only saw the show as entertainment. One thing that stood out to me while watching the film was how much Mr. Rogers wanted children to know they were valued and important. Mr. Rogers and his show have been the subject of many books, films, Read More

World Kindness Day is November 13

I don’t know about you, but I’m sick and tired of negative news stories. I just survived the  U.S. midterm elections. In my nearly 50 years on the planet, I have never seen a more contentious, vile, and downright ugly election season. I’m ready for something uplifting. How about you? November 13 is World Kindness Day. What if we set our differences (political or otherwise) aside and focus on kindness for a while instead? I’m thinking we could make a bigger difference in our world by doing this than all the promises politicians have made in recent months. I recently Read More

Celebrating 2 Years of Postcrossing Fun

It’s my postcrossingversary! Yes, that’s a word. At least, it was in my congratulatory email from Postcrossing. I’ve been “making the world a better place one postcard at a time” for two years now. It’s probably time for an explanation and review for those of you who don’t know what Postcrossing is and what a postcrosser like me does. About the time I started writing My Cup of Cocoa, I also signed up at Postcrossing. The website enables users from all around the world to send postcards to other users (known as postcrossers). This is done in a random way. Read More