Category: 100 Experiences

My memories of Orbit Skate Center will roll with me forever

My memories of Orbit Skate Center will roll with me forever
When I learned in February that Orbit Skate Center would close permanently on March 31, I knew I had to lace up a pair of rental roller skates and roll around their rink one last time. I learned to roller skate on my sidewalk with my BFF Mary when I was five. My first pair of skates... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
March 31, 2018 at 5:24 pm • 

DONE: 1 Year, 160 New Experiences

DONE: 1 Year, 160 New Experiences
One year ago today I set out on what I believed to be an incredibly ambitious journey and one that I wasn’t sure I could complete. Today I celebrate the successful completion of that journey and reflect on the lessons I’ve learned and the new person I’ve become. My life was in a rut, both... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
April 11, 2014 at 10:32 am • 

Better Safe Than Sorry or The Chronicles of My Cat Scan

Thursday night, after my car accident, I went to bed feeling fine. A little stiff, but fine. Friday morning I woke up with a pretty sore abdomen. I had a few errands to run and ran them, still feeling a dull ache. Late in the morning, my awesome State Farm agent called to talk about... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
April 5, 2014 at 1:23 pm • 
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Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm and My Friends Were There

On my way to Skokie this evening, in the heart of rush hour, I was in a car accident on Interstate 94 and it appears I’ve totaled my car. It doesn’t really matter exactly what happened. Well, I suppose it does, but for this post, those details are meaningless. What is important is that there... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
April 3, 2014 at 9:22 pm • 

Chicagoans React to Ban Bossy

In response to my blog post last week titled “Why I Can’t Lean In to Ban Bossy,” I received an email from a journalism student at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism asking if she could interview me for a class project. To say I was flattered would be a gross understatement. I immediately wrote her... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
March 21, 2014 at 3:16 pm • 

Thank You for Reading Little Merry Sunshine

Thank You for Reading Little Merry Sunshine
It’s been a busy week of New Experiences and I’ve gotten a little behind sharing them with you. I will remedy that situation this week. Do you remember how, when I reached my goal of having 100 New Experiences in 8 1/2 months, I decided to reset the goal and have 150 new experiences by... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
March 17, 2014 at 4:50 pm • 
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National Day of Unplugging, Oil Pulling, Pinterest, & Spaghetti Squash

Last Friday I wrote a post about my plans to participate in the National Day of Unplugging from sundown on Friday through sundown on Saturday. I was going to give up my electronic devices – iPhone, iPod, and laptop – for 24 hours. At exactly 5:48 p.m, as the sun went down, I shut down... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
March 13, 2014 at 4:09 pm • 

Could You Unplug for 24 Hours?

Could You Unplug for 24 Hours?
Could you unplug for 24 hours? No, this is not a rhetorical question. I’m completely serious. A few days ago, my friend Anthony posted a story from Fox Chicago about something called the National Day of Unplugging. Without knowing anymore than it meant taking a pledge to turn off all electronic devices for 24-hours from sundown... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
March 7, 2014 at 1:29 pm • 

New Experience #185: Jump Off a Cliff

Today I jump off a cliff. Okay, it’s more of a figurative cliff than an actual cliff. I’m not THAT brave. What am I actually doing? I quit my job without a new one to head off to immediately. I’m sure that many of you reading this are thinking “You did WHAT? In this economy?... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
February 17, 2014 at 1:55 pm • 
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Join Me in the 100 Happy Days Challenge

Join Me in the 100 Happy Days Challenge
Do you listen to RedEye Remix? If you don’t, you should. I’ve discussed this before (here and here), but I have to tell you that it’s not only interesting and funny, but it’s educational too. Amy Guth is the host and each week, she brings you awesome guests. You can listen to RedEye Remix Saturday... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
February 16, 2014 at 12:52 pm • 
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    Jessica Gardner

    A native of Chicago's Northwest Suburbs and resident of the North Shore, Little Merry Sunshine comes by her name honestly. The story goes that as a child, she was always so happy that she even slept with a smile on her face. Her mom nicknamed her Little Merry Sunshine. It stuck, along with her insatiable desire to focus on the good in the world and to leave it a little better than she found it. She does this by sharing her passions and dreams, what inspires her, and maybe you too, and furthering the discussion about how we can listen to our better angels. You can reach her at LittleMerrySunshineCN[at]WowWay[dot]com.

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