Clockwork Janz

Summertime is a great season for listening with intention. While the sun is shining, we are all busy making hay. A few moments of deep listening can re-center our minds, regulate our hearts and help us grab a little free and sneaky joy where we can. Your nervous system will thank you for giving your mind a rest. Make your way through the city with my list of 10 places to listen to this summer. To get lost in a crowd, check out an event downtown.

Love is so much more vast than a box of candy hearts can ever express. For many romantically driven individuals who are not currently in a head-over-heels love arc, Valentine's Day falls flat. Partnered romantic love is hard to find, and the way we frame the holiday can be a harsh reminder. But it doesn't have to be! Let's embrace the other true loves of life, starting with food. Food nourishes our soul and our body. Food holds it down. Food deserves our devotion.

Gratitude can be a prickly feeling, if we're being honest with ourselves as humble Midwesterners. We have been taught to appreciate what we have and to strive for more, but also to never be greedy. It's a constant karmic balancing act. If we are too humble, gratitude can be tainted by guilt - maybe by the knowledge that we have food while a growing number of others don't. But if we carry our gratitude with humility and love, it can be a motivator of generosity and a source of internal peace.