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One of Oregon’s recent beautiful weekends inspired my family to get outside and clean up our back yard and patio to get ready for summer. We planted a few bushes, weeded our flower beds, swept our back patio of leaves and brought out the cushions for the outdoor furniture. My seven-year old begged her dad…

Many fans celebrate May 4th as Star Wars Day, with the phrase, “May the Fourth be with you.” This month, as we celebrate Public Service Recognition Week (May 2-8), we’re going back to the original phrase — “May the force be with you” — to discover the force that drives us as individuals. Is it your purpose?…

Guest Blogger: Sherry Lauer, Human Resources Business Partner, Chief Human Resources Office At the beginning of 2021, I found myself struggling to stay upbeat and positive and hit an emotional wall. I reached my maximum threshold and knew something needed to change. My personal toolkit of resources simply didn’t have the same impact as they…

March 2021 marks one year of coping through a pandemic. Can you believe it? I often ask myself, “What would I have done differently had I known it would go on this long?” I will always remember the timing of COVID-19 because it was my birthday weekend and I never got to enjoy the decorations…

The Positivity Project’s theme for February is Practicing Self-Compassion. It couldn’t come at a better time for me. I’m already beating myself up over things I vowed to start or stop doing in 2021 that I didn’t stick too. Why do we do it? Why are we so critical of ourselves? We think nothing of…

Many of you have taken the Gallup Strengthsfinder© Assessment, an assessment that identifies your top 5 strengths. When we leverage our strengths, we are happier, less stressed, more creative, more productive, more likely to achieve our goals and more able to grow and develop. Yet a strength that is overused can become a weakness. I…

  You deserve a hug today! If you’re been around as long as me you might have that jingle from the 80’s in your head (You deserve a break today). Can you believe we’ve almost made it to the end of 2020? This year we have witnessed political and social unrest, devastating forest fires, economic…

A question was asked of me lately, “How do I heal so I can cope with what’s going on around me?” I have given this question much thought. In all honesty, when I consider myself, I wonder what kind of healing I need. I’m healthy, employed (working from home) and settled in a comfortable home…

I’ve never been very good at journaling. I have to intentionally set time aside to sit down and write. So I approached the Reflective Writing activity this month with a bit of trepidation. What happened for me was pretty profound. I’m sharing it with you today not to preach or expect you to think like…

What does it mean to savor something? Savoring is defined as any thoughts or behaviors capable of generating, intensifying and prolonging enjoyment. One of the most important ingredients of happiness is to live in and savor the present moment or reminisce about the past. Empirical research has shown that savoring is related to intense and…