I’ve worn reading glasses since kindergarten, so it was a very big adjustment for me when I switched over to contact lenses in my late-20s. I’d spent over twenty years putting on my glasses whenever I needed to work...whenever I needed to concentrate. In fact, it was difficult to learn to focus without first putting on my “thinking cap.” Then, a few years later, it was actually a relief when my eyes worsened, and I needed reading glasses again and I could return to the security of my thinking glasses.

I am recently back from a vacation that involved a seven-hour time shift—it is seven hours later in Israel than in Connecticut. Going was a pretty easy shift—I took a midnight flight, slept some onboard, arrived around dinner time and was able to stay up until a fairly normal bed time…ready to tour in the morning.

• Can you name the five wealthiest people in the world?
• Can you name the last decade’s World Series winners?
• Can you name the last five winners of the Miss America contest?
• Can you name 10 people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize?
• Can you name the last half-dozen Academy Award winners for best actor?

These are the questions that greeted me this morning, atop a box of chocolate-covered dried fruits sent to me by marketing consultant and best-selling book author Frank Sonnenberg.

I’ve been cautious about the risks from cell phone radiation since we first started reporting on the topic back in 2008. But a passionate call from Devra Davis, PhD, MPH, founder and president of Environmental Health Trust and author of Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry Has Done to Hide It and How to Protect Your Family has prompted me to get the word out even stronger.

The next time you’re running behind and feeling rushed, I want you to try something pretty radical: Slow down.

I’ve done an exercise at several workshops over the years where you have to write down what you would do if someone suddenly gave you one million dollars and you could only spend it on yourself. Oddly, a pair of new running shoes was the item that stuck out for me the first time I wrote this list. It was noticeable because I instantly realized how silly it was to think I needed to have one million dollars in order to buy new running shoes. In fact, the exercise was to give everyone this same epiphany: That we usually don’t have to wait to get what we want. Later that week, I did buy myself a new pair.

I've been cooking since I was 10 years old and some of my family's favorite recipes use a lot of eggs, so I thought I was pretty good handling eggs. Well, from the land of "You Never Know Who You Can Learn From," I just learned a better way to crack eggs from my 19-year-old nephew, who is finishing up certification as a pastry chef.

My favorite part of going to the hair salon is not my hair looking good. It's having my hair washed by someone else. The hair washers at my salon provide an incredible scalp massage. I never want to get out of the chair.

My brother-in-law passed away last Thursday, December 29, after a 10-year battle with pulmonary fibrosis. The weeks leading up to his passing were especially difficult as Jeff steadily declined toward his too-early death. It was awful for him, of course, but I must also admit that it was not easy watching a loved one deteriorate before our eyes—for his brother (my husband), for his two sons, for his parents, his nieces (my daughters) and extended family.

It's no surprise for any of us to gain weight as we age—especially if you've borne children. I long-ago parted with the pre-pregnancy clothes that I knew were never going to fit again, acknowledging that I was a bit too thin back in those days and tired of trying them on every few months to no avail. Then, shortly after I hit perimenopause, the pounds started creeping up and I noticed that my newer clothes were feeling snug. I was not happy.