Every Thanksgiving, I see a myriad of blogs and articles on Gratitude because many people think that the key to happiness is gratitude. And then, there are the cyncial people like myself that believe it takes a helluva lot more than just "gratitude" to be happy!

If you want to master a sport, you have to consistently practice the skills to excel at that sport. If you're going to master an art form, you have to consistently practice the skills to excel at that art form. If you want to master happiness, you need to consistently practice the skills to excel at being happy!

Every day, my social media and email are bombarded by "panaceas," universal remedies and programs that are supposed to fix every ailment and woe known to man. I'm under an endless solicitation of exercise programs, patches, liquids, potions, pills, and powders that are supposed to make me feel better, live longer, and be healthier.

I had to put down our glo betta fish, Macauley, Monday night. Doug and I found him in an abandoned house two years ago, floating around in a dirty little aquarium. Doug was listing the house and was so busy taking pictures that he didn't even notice the aquarium sitting on the kitchen counter. I did, looked in, and saw the sweet little neon yellow guy with big black eyes staring back up at me. I don't know how long he'd been there.

I know many of you think this past year being quarantined taught us all a thing or two about difficult moments, but I kicked off my 2015 with separating from my ex-husband and then a week later becoming my mother’s full-time caregiver. The next 3 years were pure HELL. My mother was rushed to the hospital at least 10 times for various ailments, falls, and UTIs. I moved myself, my mother, or my mother’s stuff 12 times in less than 3 years. I was constantly getting phone calls from whatever assisted living facility my mother was at informing me mother was “spicy.”