When is it too late to throw yourself into what you love? Do we cross a moment in adulthood when we put aside our longings for the long haul? Do we have to? In the early 2000s, Andrew Roth was working full-time as a product development engineer in Milwaukee. He had established a practice of sequestering all his vacation days and taking an extended trip once a year. I would come up with the craziest trip I could. It wasnt like going to Cancun kind of trips. I was just trying to go off into the weird, remote, quiet places and see the way the world really works, Andrew recalls. I could walk up to somebody and hear what their story is. The camera gives you that pass. So I just fell in love with not only traveling but then really meeting people on some intimate level even if its just a little conversation you have with somebody.

Welcome back! If youve been following along, in 2018 you read about how I lived a life of shouldI should be this, I should do that. I was miserable being what others wanted me to be and decided to come out of the closet of should. For 2019, Im going to talk about how I left a life of should and what lessons I learned to free myself. These learning lessons were earth-shattering ideas for me and changed my entire life. Hopefully, you arent stuck in a life of should, but whether you are or not, I bet you can learn something from these lessons. Buckle up and come along for the ride!

Normalcy is the projection of a persons story onto the world around them. Its a state of being loaded with acceptance of a familiar reality. Wherever you grew up, however you grew up, you probably look back on your childhood and think, overall, things were pretty normal. Then we build up these subconscious blinders, which may lead to looking at things as you want to remember them and not as they truly are. When Mary Landry took an honest look at Madison, past the celebrated university, the communal nature of area farmers markets, and the egalitarian efforts of local businesses and organizations, she saw a need in womens health that had become so normal for Madison, nobody really wanted to talk about it.

The fact that technology now allows an individual to carry such information in his hand does not make the information any less worthy of the protection for which the Founders fought. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts in Riley v. California (2014)

Traditional Mexican food has never been more popular in Wisconsin than it is now. Its easy to fall in love with a cuisine when the dishes are authentically prepared. If you love a taste of Mexico, youll find it at Blue Agave Restaurant and Lounge on Butler Street in downtown Madison.

Im writing during Januarys snowstorms and record cold snap, which have led to a common satirical theme in communication exchanges: why do we live in Wisconsin? While Im not a fan of shoveling, dangerous roads, and life-threatening air temperatures, I never doubt that Wisconsin is where I will live my best life because of the passion Ive been able to share with others regarding where and how we live.

By formulating a tax-efficient investment and distribution strategy, retirees may keep more of their hard-earned assets for themselves and their heirs. Here are a few suggestions for effective money management during your later years.

Parties, classes, concerts, and town hall meetings all have something in common. They need space. In the not-too-distant past, churches played probably the largest role in providing space for people with common interests to come together and work, plan, discuss, or play. Studies and surveys from Pew Research Center suggest church participation is way down from where it was 50 to 70 years ago. So all these shared beliefs and systemic understandings become more compartmentalized, even diametrically opposed, and in the age of the internet, the ability to escape to whatever cubby we feel comfortable in is maybe a bit too easy.

Urban landscapes are an intrinsic part of human and planetary health and well-being. The ability plants have to capture and convert light into energy is fundamental to the food and fuel on which the earth depends. Additionally, plants within our landscapes have the potential to improve air quality, reduce urban heat islands, purify wastewater, limit runoff, and reduce stress. As communities and individuals, incorporating green infrastructure into our urban landscapes will make our cities more livable, resilient, and healthful.

Studies have shown that regular cycling can contribute to ones well-being by cutting the risk of heart disease, by holding back the effects of aging, and by rejuvenating the immune system. Its fitting, then, that a bicycle shop should be located in a historic building whose renovation has contributed to the well-being of its community.

Educators have one of the most important jobs in our countryshaping the next generation. Yet teaching can be an incredibly stressful profession. Between the increasing pressure on students performances on standardized tests, decreasing teacher prep time and funding for schools, and never-ending lists of priorities, educators often stretch themselves too thin going the extra mile for their students. Not to mention the secondary traumatic stress that takes a toll on them while meeting the needs of their students who have experienced trauma. Too often the well-being of educators falls to the wayside.

Make a circle with your left thumb and forefinger. Take your right thumb and forefinger and place the tips on either side of the circle you madeat about the four oclock and eight oclock position. Now have someone lift up your dog or cats tail and put your circle over the anus. The anal glands (or more precisely, anal sacs) are approximately where your right thumb and fore-finger point.

While Dr. Lori Scarlett, DVM, started out wanting to be a human doctor, she says, I didnt like the guys in my class, so I went into research and received a masters in genetics. But I missed people contact when I worked in a lab. Then when my fianc got me a catwhich I never had growing up and always wanted, but my parents werent pet peopleI thought to myself, I can work with pets for the rest of my life.

Across the country, from one town to the next, local pharmacies have become a dying breed, seemingly crowded out by a small group of national chains. But at 47 years of age, Community Pharmacy is bucking the trend as a locally rooted, independent store with a range of offerings for the mind, body, and spirit.

There are many reasons to play outside, including that on their own being outside and playing have demonstrated positive impacts on peoples lives both physically and emotionally. Dedicating time to outside play each week helps you reap the health benefits in addition to creating opportunities to spend time with family members and friends, and potentially making new friends.

When I was the younger version of myself, I watched a lot of action movies. The explosions and over-the-top car chases of the 80s and early 90s went well with my Captain Crunch breakfasts and Kraft dinners. The muscle-stacked heroes not only saved the day through physics-defying theatrics, but they also shaped my perception of what it was to be fit. On the VHS edition of Terminator 2: Judgement Day , before the movie started, Arnold Schwarzenegger told me Fitness is Feeling Great. Thats a really fine messagethe problem is I attached it to having a sculpted physique. Wellness and overall health didnt come into the equation, and young me thought people using those words were talking about being ripped.

A walk into Isthmus Wellness facility within an office complex on Madisons west side quickly sets a zen tone. Gentle music, soft aesthetics, dim lighting, and fragrant aroma provide the backdrop for a center designed to be a welcome, safe, and soothing space of sanctuary.

Regardless of where you stand, the current political environment has been stressful. We are feeling divisions between family and friends, and within and between communities. These kinds of divisions can cause stress, anxiety, fear, and sadness.