At the end of our monthly experts dinner last night, I asked Regena Thomashauer if she could give me one piece of advice that everyone could use to put more pleasure into their lives. With stress levels running high -- and the holiday season about to add to it -- I find it important to find some pleasure in every day. Regena is actually leading a "pleasure revolution" through her company, Mama Gena's School of Womanly Arts http://www.mamagenas.com/, where she teaches women to discover the power of pleasure and helps them to create their dreams.

Last Thursday, I brought two of my daughters into New York City for the Thanksgiving Day Parade. While I've lived in the New York area my entire life, it was the first time we'd ever gone to see it live instead of watching it on television. It was great fun, though close to the end, the children were getting antsy and cold. And then... bubbles. Bubbles! The air was full of them, floating and looping around. The energy among the crowd changed. Not fidgety now. Excited. Heads tilted back, eyes upward. Kids started jumping to pop the bubbles as they floated past. I laughed and fought my own desire to jump up and try to pop the bubbles myself. The bubbles were emanating from a street vendor who was selling battery-powered bubble "guns." "Please mommy?" my eight-year-old pleaded. I gave in without too much resistance.

Last week I paid a condolence call to the family of a man I didn't know. I was nervous about going -- the deceased, "Manny," was only in his thirties, and there's no consolation when someone dies so young. I arrived early in the morning, on my way to work, so there were few other visitors in the home. I sat down, said a meek "I'm so sorry about your loss" (what else is there to say at such times?) and sat quietly and compassionately. Two of the mourners recounted inspiring stories about their brother, including stories that other visitors had shared about how their lives had been touched, and changed, by the deceased. One, about a wife whose husband's life had been devastated by his experiences in one of the Twin Towers on 9/11, but how he came back to himself many months later after Manny took him out for a walk. Another story came from a former high school classmate who was messing up his life and who Manny brought back to a straight and healthy path. The family had never heard these stories before -- never knew that Manny had been capable of such acts of inspiration. In fact, the family wasn't even sure that Manny knew how deeply he had impacted these people. The family was mourning not only for the loss of their brother/son/uncle, but also for the loss of the man they never knew.

We are in the midst of a dramatic shift in my home. Two years ago, we published the article "How Safe Are Plastics? What to Do About Dangerous Water Bottles, Food Containers, More," in our Bottom Line/Personal newsletter, which explained about the toxin BPA (often a component of plastic). That article prompted me to replace our our old plastic storage containers with new, BPA-free containers... avoid Styrofoam... and stop putting any plastic in the dishwasher or microwave (heat releases BPA). I was pleased with the changes, feeling like I was both protecting my famiy and the environment at the same time.

Last December, I blogged about onions as a home remedy for insomnia, colds and more. In fact, I've had more comments posted for that blog than to any other so far.