Tag: life lessons

A ceramic Christmas tree from Nana taught me I was an adult

A ceramic Christmas tree from Nana taught me I was an adult
Nana was an old-fashioned woman. She was devoutly God-fearing, believed divorce was a sin, and had definite ideas of gender roles. She also had a strong tendency to see her grandchildren as small children no matter how old we got. Birthday cards from Nana were often ones more appropriate for a 7-year-old, but she sent... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
July 18, 2018 at 10:25 am • 

Mister Rogers is the neighbor we still need

Mister Rogers is the neighbor we still need
I cried seeing the trailer for Won’t You Be My Neighbor? in the theater a couple of months ago, so I knew I’d be emotional when I saw the documentary. I had no idea what I was in for though. I loved Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood when I was a kid. To say he was my one... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
June 14, 2018 at 2:33 pm • 

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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Final step in learning to paddle board: celebrate success

Final step in learning to paddle board: celebrate success
In my blog post, Learning to paddle board: A gentle reminder of life lessons on success, yesterday, I forgot a crucial element of success. Frankly, it’s a little embarrassing that I left out the final step, but I did. I suppose my only excuse is that after my 8-month hiatus, I’ve gotten a little rusty... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
August 25, 2016 at 11:30 am • 

Learning to paddle board: A gentle reminder of life lessons on success

Learning to paddle board: A gentle reminder of life lessons on success
As I do every August, I spent last week at Watervale. As my dear friend Woodlawn Wonder has dubbed it, Watervale is my “ancestral family home.” It’s not, but it might as well be because there’s no other place I feel at peace or as connected to myself. I’m also the third of four generations... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
August 24, 2016 at 3:25 pm • 

Story time with Brad Meltzer

Story time with Brad Meltzer
When was the last time someone read you a bedtime story, complete with sound effects, jokes, and the story’s backstory? I’m guessing you were under 10 and that was probably a very long time ago. Do you remember how much you anticipated the story each night, even if you made your parents read the same... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
November 10, 2015 at 12:06 am • 
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8 tips for handling adult temper tantrums

8 tips for handling adult temper tantrums
Every so often we all lose our tempers. For whatever reason, we’ve had enough of being the bug smashed on the windshield of life and try as we might, we blow up. And every so often, we’re on the receiving end of someone else losing their stuff and exploding uncontrollably. If we’re not careful, when... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
July 29, 2015 at 10:36 pm • 

I received a Pay It Forward and it FREAKED ME OUT

I received a Pay It Forward and it FREAKED ME OUT
We’re all familiar with the idea of “pay it forward” where one person performs a random act of kindness for another person with the hope that the recipient will be inspired to “pay it forward” and perform a random act of kindness for someone else in the future. We may have seen the movie, probably... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
June 21, 2015 at 2:36 pm • 

Jackie Robinson West: Adults and society are to blame, so leave the kids alone

Jackie Robinson West: Adults and society are to blame, so leave the kids alone
Earlier today, Little League® International released its decision in the alleged Jackie Robinson West cheating scandal in the 2014 season. The decision in part reads: The Charter/Tournament Committee has decided to vacate the league’s wins from the 2014 Little League® International Tournament, including its Great Lakes Regional and United States Championships, and suspend team manager... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
February 11, 2015 at 11:33 am • 
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Elf on the Shelf turns this hater into a believer

Elf on the Shelf turns this hater into a believer
Unless you’ve been living under a rock without internet access for the past few years, you’ve undoubtedly heard of or come into direct contact with the Elf on the Shelf phenomenon that will shortly overtake the otherwise rational minds of parents everywhere. It appears the Elf on the Shelf began innocently enough, but has morphed... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
November 26, 2014 at 8:23 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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