The following is one of my journal entries from approximately 2013. It took another 7 years before I actually put these plans into action and launched the Department of Practical Sunshine in October, 2020. One could ask, “What took you so long?” and the answers would come fast and furious: fear, wanting all of my […]

I saw the littles from a block away, zooming from corner to corner on their push bikes and scooters. As I approached, I saw that there were two adults stationed in the center of the intersection, monitoring the kiddos and watching for cars. I crossed the street and soon after I heard one of the […]

Here at the Department of Practical Sunshine, we were hoping that September would arrive and everything would be easy-breezy lemon-squeezy. Crisp autumn air, omnipresent school buses, dahlias overflowing from people’s gardens and way too much talk about pumpkin spice everything. Easy-breezy is now feeling like a bit of a stretch. As much as we try […]

Some call August the “Sunday of the Year.” Just as Sundays may evoke feelings of missed opportunities, doldrums or dread about what’s to come, August—signaling the end of summer, change in weather, moving out of vacation season and into shorter days—may be its yearly equivalent. The malaise that people may feel before beginning their week […]

There is no shortage of tools we can use to gain clarity when we’re feeling stuck. Brain dumps, flipping the script, or doing a “pros/cons” list are all helpful, but none of them work all of the time in every situation. One approach that has a lot of broad applications but doesn’t seem to get […]

One productivity quote that has always stayed with me: “There are 24 hours in the day; use them.” When I first heard this quote, I thought it was inspiring. YES! Why waste a single second of this “wild and precious life”? (With due credit, of course, to the brilliant Mary Oliver.) I have lived my […]

We are born asking for what we need. As tiny humans we cry or coo or look really cute in order to get our basic needs met. We are totally reliant upon others for survival and so out of instinct we ask for what we need. Over time, most of us acquire skills to survive […]

Productivity is not the be-all, end-all it is often made out to be (#fightgrindculture), but it is one part of feeling fulfilled and engaged. So, while Slice of Sunshine newsletters usually focus on the “sunshine,” this issue we’re going to focus on the practical from the Department of Practical Sunshine! Here are five productivity tips that are in […]

As a kid, old people* would tell me that time moves faster as you age. This annoyed me. The little logician in me would think: Impossible! There are always 24 hours in a day and seven days in a week, so how could it move any faster than that?? But it turns out to be […]

It started as a typical morning dog walk. Roxy, Astro and I were on our usual neighborhood route which includes crossing a higher-traffic street. As I approached the intersection, a car with windows down and music blaring approached as well. While the law in Oregon is that all corners are to be considered de facto […]