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This blog shares food, fitness and lifestyle tips, to help elevate mind, body, and spirit.
“Those who have the privilege to know, have the duty to act.”
~ Albert Einstein
I am a lifelong learner with several decades of experience as a parent, caregiver, employee, writer, speaker, and wellness consultant. More recently, I have become a grandmother.
My curiosity, life experience and love of learning compel me to teach what I've had the privilege to learn - and unlearn.
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Loving unconditionally
Unconditional love is the outer expression of inner peace. ~ Louise Hay It's March Break. We have been caring for our two-year-old and four-year-old granddaughters at the cottage, while our daughter, their mother, works in the bunkie. They fill the house with joy and love it here. Complicating matters for us is the fact that my mother and my husband's mother are ill and in need of our attention. At times, we are a little distracted. Last night, just as I'd managed to get the
Mary Maciel Pearson
4 hours ago1 min read
When science becomes religion
Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt. ~ Richard P. Feynman Religion and science are both systems of belief. Science is evidence-based and thus subject to constant revision and falsification. In contrast, religion is faith-based. It demands belief in the absence of evidence. The phrase “evidence-based” originates from the concept that decisions should be grounded in data, research, or verifiable facts rather than opinion, tradition, or intuition. It
Mary Maciel Pearson
Mar 131 min read
People aren't bad, they do bad things
The fact is that people are good, Give people affection and security, and they will give affection and be secure in their feelings and their behaviour. ~ Abraham Maslow Yesterday morning I was reading books to our granddaughter. One book had bible stories. I was surprised to find instances of people being described as “bad” or “evil” in a children's book. I found myself reframing sentences that attacked character, instead describing people as behaving badly. I had to explain
Mary Maciel Pearson
Mar 61 min read
Success requires trade-offs
I learned that we can do anything, but we can't do everything, at least not at the same time. ~ Dan Millman I was recently introduced to The Four Burner Theory, a time-management concept popularized by James Clear . Imagine your life as a stove with four burners, each representing a major area: Family Friends Health Work To be truly successful, we must power off one burner. To be extremely successful, we must power off two. In other words, we cannot run all four burners on h
Mary Maciel Pearson
Feb 271 min read
Family is a core value
What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family. ~ Mother Teresa Yesterday morning, while catching up with a highly accomplished friend, I mentioned that because family had once again become a core value, I found myself neglecting other aspects of my life. My friend reminded me that a coach had once told her that family is not a core value. A core value is a fundamental belief that guides a person’s decisions, actions, and priorities. When someone says f
Mary Maciel Pearson
Feb 201 min read
Reuniting and it feels so good
Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much. ~ Helen Keller Social bonds play a crucial role in healthy aging. Research consistently shows that strong, meaningful relationships with family, friends, and community can promote physical health and mental well-being, while social isolation and loneliness pose serious risks comparable to smoking or obesity. Finally reconnecting Building… bridges for connection may never have been more important than it is right now…
Mary Maciel Pearson
Feb 131 min read
Feeling my feelings
The unexamined life is not worth living. ~ Socrates Sometimes we create physical pain to numb emotional pain. Old wounds may resurface, and we cannot bear to confront them. One morning, I woke up feeling unbearable grief and sorrow. I could not bear it. I pride myself on not ever succumbing to states of depression or anxiety, but that morning, I did not have the will to get up. Long story short, shortly thereafter, I ended up with a diagnosis of double lung pneumonia. The pri
Mary Maciel Pearson
Feb 61 min read
Ready to come home
The magic thing about home is that it feels good to leave, and it feels even better to come back. ~ Wendy Wunder My husband picked a great time to escape this very cold and snowy Canadian winter. The tropical warmth and sunshine have been very healing. Watching the sun rise and set, along with the reprieve from daily chores, has been a welcome retreat. As we’d hoped, we have spent a lot of time outdoors. But I am ready to come home. I could not live in the tropics. I apprecia
Mary Maciel Pearson
Jan 301 min read
Travel and health
Anything that gets you out, that gets you physically active, is going to be good psychotherapy and stave off winter problems. ~ Jon Karkauer We spent five hours on a flight to Antigua yesterday. There were no delays. Healing my lungs has been my priority over the past month, so I had reservations about air travel. But my husband was very excited about this trip. Given the harsh winter conditions at home, we have spent little time outdoors. My concerns about flying, including
Mary Maciel Pearson
Jan 232 min read
Tai chi for me
Chi is the general life force of a human being. Chi is that which differentiates the living from the dead… the sum of many energetic frequencies that run through the body… Chi can be increased in a human being by doing qigong — exercises that work with your chi — or other internal energy practices, such as tai chi. Strong chi can make a person feel totally alive, alert and present. ~ Bruce Frantzis Having committed to overcoming a self-limiting belief that scheduling exercise
Mary Maciel Pearson
Jan 162 min read
Is exercise self-indulgent?
The Buddha's message was simple but profound. Neither a life of self-indulgence nor one of self-mortification can bring happiness. Only a middle path, avoiding these two extremes, leads to peace of mind, wisdom, and complete liberation from the dissatisfactions of life. ~ Henepola Gunaratana It’s January. Gyms across the country experience a surge in new memberships as individuals begin their fitness resolutions. I've occasionally worked in the fitness industry and have held
Mary Maciel Pearson
Jan 92 min read
A fresh start for me in 2026
New year — a new chapter, new verse, or just the same old story? Ultimately we write it. The choice is ours. ~ Alex Morritt After carpet-bombing my microbiome with broad-spectrum antibiotics to combat double lung pneumonia, I am in the process of building back better. I consider this to be part of a fresh start in the new year. I have always been a minimalist when it comes to prescription drugs - especially antibiotics - but in this case, I didn't have much of a choice. So,
Mary Maciel Pearson
Jan 21 min read
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