http://www.happyherald.com/palmbeach/articles.sec-8507-1-on-the-bright-side.html A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement.]]> Twenty years ago my oldest son was born. One of the first major decisions my husband and I had to make was whether religion was going to be part of our lives as a new, young family. We were both brought up with a religious foundation, from baptism to confirmation in our respective churches.]]> Turning off the mental chatter could be an olympic event if it could be measured (and if meditation was not, in spirit, non-competitive!). I’ve been toying with meditation practice for at least the past decade and am slowly gaining resilience.]]> I am learning how to create space between stressful situations (human) and my reactions to them (being). This is not an easy process. It takes a level of awareness that even under normal circumstances is largely dormant or unconscious. Add a charged emotional state and awareness becomes even more elusive.]]> It’s that time of year again: people cutting in line because they obviously have somewhere to go; crowded stores and streets; and the endless music being piped into our lives; indoctrinating the “holiday spirit” (spend your money) into our weary souls, if only for a few stressful weeks.]]> The thing about news is it no longer means what it was meant to. The term “newspaper” derives its meaning from the idea that each day new events around us were reported to us.]]> A sleepless night can be a blessing. I am not sure why my body suddenly becomes restless now at three a.m. but I would bet it has something to do with age. ]]> To celebrate our 20th anniversary, my husband and I booked a trip to Italy with friends based on a New York Times article we read entitled, "Thirty-six Hours in Cinque Terre." It was truly a vacation to remember, not just for the gastronomical delights and the sensory overload, but for what we'll call the "thirty-sixth hour" in Cinque Terre.]]> You know those days when nothing is going right? No matter how hard you try things just go from bad to worse? In the throes of those moments it would be awesome if we could keep a sense of humor about us and marvel at how many of Murphy's Laws we could check off in one day.]]> The recent triple disaster in Japan has once again taught us that in the throes of tragedy, our possessions mean nothing. There have been amazing stories coming out of the region.]]> Let’s face it; there are definitely different versions of news. And I am referring to the distilled 24/7 newsfeed; just our basic junk-food news. Are you Burger King or McDonald’s?]]> Jonna Shutowick is a high school teacher for the Palm Beach County school district. She has created a character named Rosey Shades TM, whose philosophy teaches students about the importance of choosing optimism over pessimism by asking, What color are the clouds in your world? For more information, visit www.roseyshades.com or email: http://roseyshades-onthebrightside.blogspot.com/]]>