Tag: 100 Experiences

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 • 

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 • 

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 • 
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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 • 

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 • 
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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 • 

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 • 
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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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    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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