Once upon a time, flying United really was flying the friendly skies

Once upon a time, flying United really was flying the friendly skies
Like the entire country, I’ve been riveted to and horrified by the story of Dr. David Dao being assaulted and dragged off a United Airlines flight between O’Hare and Louisville for the grievous offense of being unwilling to give up his seat on an overbooked United flight. Today we learned that Dr. Dao has a... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
April 13, 2017 at 3:57 pm • 

Hey! Hey! What do you say! The Cubs are gonna win today!

Shannon and me with 5 million of our closest friends at the Cubs' World Series Championship Parade!
Today is Opening Day for the 2017 Major League Baseball Season and it finds the World Series Championship Cubs playing against their perennial rival the St. Louis Cardinals. The truth is that I have no idea whether the Cubs will win tonight. I certainly hope they do because like any good lifelong Cubs fan, I... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
April 2, 2017 at 5:51 pm • 

I thought I was practicing mindfulness, but I wasn't mindful enough

I thought I was practicing mindfulness, but I wasn't mindful enough
As I do about once every few months, earlier this week, I ventured out to drop off a bag of non-perishable groceries and personal care items to the local food pantry at my township office. I had a number of errands to run before a doctor’s appointment and was focussed on checking off items on... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
April 1, 2017 at 3:08 pm • 
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Which film will win the Oscar for Best Picture?

Which film will win the Oscar for Best Picture?
For the first time in my life, I have seen each of the films nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award. In a typical year, I see one or two, if I’m lucky. Frankly, I don’t normally have much interest in the nominees, but this year the films grabbed me and I was compelled to see... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
February 26, 2017 at 7:18 pm • 

Practice self kindness by taking a smartphone detox

Practice self kindness by taking a smartphone detox
Fellow ChicagoNow bloggers Beth, writer of Ups and Downs of a Yoga Mom, Nina, writer of You Know Neen, and Megan, writer of Stable Mable, and I are joining forces this week to practice self kindness with a smartphone detox. Popsugar‘s smartphone detox, which is the detox plan we are following, is a simple weeklong exercise... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
January 8, 2017 at 10:32 am • 

100+ Acts of Self Kindness

100+ Acts of Self Kindness
Step two in spreading kindness throughout the world in 2017 is performing one act of self kindness (aka self care) each week. Yesterday we discussed acts of kindness that we can perform for others. Today it’s time to focus on ourselves. Before we get into the list of possible acts of self kindness, let me tell... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
January 6, 2017 at 11:07 am • 
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100+ acts of kindness for others, animals, and the planet

100+ acts of kindness for others, animals, and the planet
Step one in spreading kindness throughout the world in 2017 is performing one act of kindness each week for another person or people, animal, or the planet. The list of possible acts of kindness is endless, but to get you started, I’ve listed 100 of my favorite acts of kindness below. I’d love to hear... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
January 3, 2017 at 4:39 pm • 

2017 is the Year of Kindness

2017 is the Year of Kindness
After a tumultuous 2016, it’s time to get back to basics. And, in my opinion, nothing is more basic than kindness. Kindness to others. Kindness to ourselves. Kindness to our pets. Kindness to our planet. I am making a new personal commitment to kindness and I invite you to join me. Can you imagine the... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
January 2, 2017 at 2:07 pm • 

My top 10 favorite experiences of 2016

#1 The year began with the Totally Fabulous Jessica party thrown by Tim and <a href="http://www.norpieswalltowall.com">Michael</a>. Yes, it was simply a party to celebrate ME! Joining in on the fun were Christopher, Wendy and Geoff, and <a href="http://www.chicagonow.com/organizing-with-erin">Erin</a>. Thank you all for spending an evening honoring me! Y'all have no idea how the memory of this evening carried me through some dark moments this year.
As 2016 quickly draws to a close, I need to stop and reflect upon the joy I felt this year. In fact, especially this year. By just about every measure, 2016 was a difficult year for many people. Generation X lost many of our pop culture idols; a presidential election went wonky at the last... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
December 31, 2016 at 3:13 pm • 
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Hate the election results? Get politically active. It's easier than you think.

Hate the election results? Get politically active. It's easier than you think.
In the two weeks since we elected a new President of the United States, I’ve walked through the five stages of grief – denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Yes, I know that sounds ridiculous, but our new president has shown that his values don’t align with mine. I’m not going to rehash all of the... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
November 22, 2016 at 9:00 am • 
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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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