I have a friend who recently posted some pictures of some of the recent trips “close to home” that she and her husband have taken in the last few weeks. She said that this year, they decided to “explore their own backyard.” What a fabulous idea! This year, during the crazy-coronavirus conundrum, many of us might not have the courage, ability, desire nor the wherewithal to take a “regular” vacation to an exotic beach or a theme park. Why not explore some of the areas near where you live? My friend and I live in the Rocky Mountain West which is full of all kinds of different landscapes–mountains, valleys, lakes, rivers, red rock, dessert–the only thing we’re missing is the ocean. We can camp, hike, mountain climb or rappel (if we’re brave enough), or just take a drive through a canyon. What can you do near you? Do you live near a state or national park? Are you on a coast? Is your town or city famous for something like the world’s largest ball of twine (way to go Darwin, Mi...

Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” I am afraid that many people are not familiar with this famous quote, so we are going to revisit the subject of planning. Google’s dictionary defines the verb, the action, “plan” as follows: decide on and arrange in advance. I beg, implore, beseech, and plead with you to use this Covid-19 “downtime,” if you’ve got it, to orchestrate some new strategies for the future. If there are any areas of your life that you have been wanting to tweak–your home, your health, your FINANCES, now is the time. Did you know it only takes 21 days to make or break a habit? Those three weeks will come and go so quickly. Don’t just let this time waste away and wish you’d made some positive changes in a few months from now.

I recently read an article written by a restaurateur in Denver who thinks that Congress should dole out regularly monthly stimulus payments for every man, woman, and child in the United States. She is asking for people to sign a petition supporting this. I am a little shocked that this business owner does not understand who will actually be providing the funding for this massive payout. It will come from every man, woman, and child in the United States. This great country was not built on the idea of a “free ride.” I am very disappointed in the entitled attitude adopted by so many. We should each be responsible for our own stuff. I know things are hard right now, but I, personally, do not think it’s going to last forever. It might not go back to the normal that we knew, and this might be a good thing–let this pandemic, media circus, political nightmare and resulting financial pinch motivate you to make positive changes in the future. There is something else…taking responsibil...