creative activities like knitting and cooking can boost your levels of serotonin and decrease anxiety. Photo by Asife/ Shutterstock. Do you consider yourself creative? If the answer is "no," you are not alone. We have been working as creativity facilitators for close to two decades, and whenever we ask people this question, shockingly few hands go up. It turns out that you don't have to be a great artist to be creative. Creativity is simply our ability to dream things up and make them happen. Cooking breakfast, planting a garden, even developing a business plan are all creative acts. But here is where the arts do come in. Partici... posted on Jun 5 2014 (37,702 reads)

program, started by now-retired woodshop teacher Steve Simmons, has produced upwards of 8,000 birdhouses purchased by farmers, generating over $150,000 in scholarship money for students. Keep the Faith. All packages have impacts, regardless of whether they’re refillable, contain recycled materials, or not. They’re also indicators of our attitudes toward issues with broader implications — for instance, food quality, public health, and our connection or disconnection with nature. What we do about packaging serves as one measure of how closely our consumption patterns match our values and aspirations for ourselves, our children, and the planet. When paying attention to ... posted on Aug 14 2014 (15,665 reads)

me to participate in the book’s 2013 edition by answering one randomly assigned question from a curious child. Naturally, I was thrilled to do it, and honored to be a part of something as heartening as Does My Goldfish Know Who I Am? (public library) — a compendium of primary school children’s funny, poignant, innocent yet insightful questions about science and how life works, answered by such celebrated minds as rockstar physicist Brian Cox, beloved broadcaster and voice-of-nature Sir David Attenborough, legendary linguist Noam Chomsky, science writer extraordinaire Mary Roach, stat-showman Hans Rosling, Beatle Paul McCartney, biologist and Beagle Project direc... posted on Sep 1 2014 (15,432 reads)

negotiating between our two characters. I was not so clear on who my two characters were prior to the stroke. I think that the greatest gift that I received in experiencing the hemorrhage in my left hemisphere [was] that she went offline and she got quiet—because she's language, she's busy, she's accelerated, she's very smart, she goes a million miles an hour, and da-da-da-dadada. She dominated who I was moment-by-moment, pretty much. Then I would steal time away in nature, in my art, or in my music in order to find some right-brain pieces of me that could relax, could regenerate, could come to the present moment, and could really experience people, love, and all... posted on Aug 24 2014 (35,664 reads)

become the tools of our tools; And the fault – and the solution – lies not in our tools, but in ourselves. The digital revolution promised so much at the outset: computers would make air travel safer, health care more affordable, and education more widely available. But for all the evident benefits – and there are many – the tools have taken over the toolmakers. - Complex algorithms, beyond human understanding, replace even the most high-valued jobs, including the jobs of algorithm writers; - Yet even as jobs and income disappear, mobile devices bombarded with messages urging endless consumption of finite resources. The resulting ... posted on Aug 4 2014 (24,832 reads)

mind—and creating the life you want—can be a real challenge. There are, however, simple daily practices you can implement to bring about the change you seek: 1. Create an afformation – If you’ve ever tried to use affirmations, you know they can be tough to believe initially. In The Book of Afformations: Discovering the Missing Piece to Abundant Health, Wealth, Love, and Happiness (Hay House), Noah St. John suggests working with the brain’s natural inquisitive nature: Pose a question and your brain immediately starts seeking the answer. For example, in my own evolution the question looks like, “Why am I able to so easily, comfortably and accurately ca... posted on Sep 26 2014 (111,109 reads)

discard everything we can’t measure and often kill whatever we try to disconnect in the attempt to understand its constituent parts. Like that poor frog in 8th grade biology that had to die so we could see how its liver connected to its spleen, we’re the ones slowly making our way to the proverbial chopping table at the behest of our reductionist view of progress. Wouldn’t it have been better to study the frog while it was alive, perhaps in its native environment, doing what nature intended it to do, so we could understand its place in the world and connection to life’s wholeness? The stakes couldn’t be higher. This is bigger than changing the world. Its ab... posted on Aug 27 2014 (30,019 reads)

down on the desk. Taking responsibility, Tommy’s mother apologized to her son and all present. She rededicated herself to treatment and was referred to the campus drug rehabilitation counselor. After the circle and with follow-up, Tommy’s family life, grades, and behavior improved. The teacher remained at the school. Restoration, not punishment Nelson Mandela’s adage, “I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends,” captures the profoundly inclusive nature of restorative justice (RJ). The hallmark of RJ is intentionally bringing together people with seemingly diametrically opposed viewpoints—particularly people who have harmed with people w... posted on Sep 14 2014 (28,414 reads)

five key skills: recognizing emotions in oneself and others, understanding the causes and consequences of emotions, labeling the full range of emotions, expressing emotions appropriately in different contexts, and regulating emotions effectively to foster relationships and achieve goals. Classrooms adopt “emotional literacy charters”—agreements that the whole community agrees to concerning interpersonal interactions—and kids use “mood meters” to identify the nature and intensity of their feelings and “blueprints” to chart out past experiences they might learn from. But the curriculum doesn’t just exist as a separate subject— tea... posted on Oct 4 2014 (23,694 reads)

likened it to the fear of the dark, of the unknown. Waiting periods for hearts ranged anywhere from a month to two years in the state. If he could count down to a fixed date, he might have fared better. But as their daughter’s health got worse – she was unable pass urine, she was barely awake and breathed through a ventilator in the intensive care unit – and she inched towards death, the family became increasingly frustrated. As they prayed harder, they recognised the morbid nature of their hope. “There is such guilt. Someone else has to die for his or her heart to be available for my child,” Capt Homji said. He told himself it was a cosmic balancing act. O... posted on Aug 11 2014 (16,088 reads)

startling physiological effects of loneliness, optimism, and meditation. In 2013, Neil deGrasse Tyson hosted a mind-bending debate on the nature of “nothing” — an inquiry that has occupied thinkers since the dawn of recorded thought and permeates everything from Hamlet’s iconic question to the boldest frontiers of quantum physics. That’s precisely what New Scientist editor-in-chief Jeremy Webb explores with a kaleidoscopic lens in Nothing: Surprising Insights Everywhere from Zero to Oblivion(public library) — a terrific collection of essays and articles exploring everything from vacuum to the birth and death of the universe to how the concept of zer... posted on Sep 13 2014 (27,293 reads)

are certain people, working on solutions for homelessness that inspire me, like one person I met who runs a bread truck and drives food into homeless areas, but this is what I can do. I can create an awareness and start a conversation,” Willie said. When Willie returns to Dallas, he’s orchestrating an art exhibit with the signs he’s purchased from his trip. “These signs – and this practice – have become a catalyst for conversations about the nature of home, homelessness, compassion, and how we see and treat each other as humans,” Willie wrote in his crowd-funding campaign. It’s profoundly changed the way he interacts with the ... posted on Aug 25 2014 (31,655 reads)

to those in distress. And these are not behaviors we keep hidden. We exhibit them daily. How often during a day do you figure out an answer to a problem, invent a slightly better way of doing something, or extend yourself to someone in need? Then look around at your colleagues and neighbors, and you’ll see others acting just like you—people trying to make a contribution and help others. In these times of turmoil, we have forgotten who we can be and we have let our worst natures prevail. Some of these bad behaviors we create because we treat people in non-human ways. We’ve organized work around destructive motivations—greed, self-interest and competition&m... posted on Sep 20 2014 (30,099 reads)

something in common within their hearts; love, care, emotion, altruism, affection and consciousness. We are talking about living, breathing, feeling beings that are extremely intelligent. The only difference is that they take a different form than us, and use different communication techniques. Animals Teach Us So Much! We have so much to learn from animals. In the meantime, we have completely destroyed their world to support our greed. We’ve become completely disconnected with nature, and we will not be able to advance as a species if we continue down the same road we’ve been traveling. I can understand why many of them fear us, and are very hesitant to come into c... posted on Sep 22 2014 (63,144 reads)

to new information that might be meaningful.” Outside of urban areas, air traffic is the biggest threat to natural quiet. Federal Aviation Administration regulations don’t restrict flight patterns over wilderness areas, and with air traffic increasing, the problem will only get worse. “It pretty much spells the extinction of natural quiet here in the U.S., unless we set places aside,” Hempton says. So without quiet places, is plugging in to a recorded album of nature sounds our only recourse? Hempton says real change will start when we pull out the ear buds and become aware of the sounds around us. “I ask people, ‘Don’t ignore noise pol... posted on Oct 17 2014 (19,456 reads)

hope it gives you some comfort. I hope cancer never returns so that your life is long, fulfilled and happy. School Everyone will say it’s vital to work hard at school. Hopefully you’ll always do your best. I did well at school but did it do me much good in life? Not really. School work IS important, but make sure you have fun too. Boys At the moment you don’t make much distinction between girls and boys and see all children as friends. That’s typical of your sweet nature. But Kel, that will change as you get older. You might see them as stinky, pesky classmates in a few years’ time. But, probably at secondary school, you’ll realise they can be quite... posted on Nov 12 2014 (64,619 reads)

marine trash and creates an environmental problem called “ghost fishing,” which occurs when fish and other sea life get caught and killed in abandoned nets drifting below the surface. In an effort to put an end to ghost fishing and clean up the Chilean coastline, the guys behind Bureo created Net Positiva, Chile’s first collection and recycling program for commercial netting. Through Net Positiva, Bureo Skateboards harvests the litter and melts it down into their signature cruiser boards. You can learn more about Bureo or buy a fishnet skateboard of your very own on their website. 3. Trendy sneakers and jeans Pharelle Williams is pop music&rsqu... posted on Oct 29 2014 (19,841 reads)

when our clever brain and our human heart work together in harmony can we achieve our true potential.” The question of what sets us apart from other animals has occupied humanity for millennia, but only in the last few decades have animals gone from objects to be observed to fellow beings to be understood, with their own complex psychoemotional constitution. Hardly anyone has contributed more to this landmark shift in attitudes — or, rather, this homecoming to the true nature of things — thanJane Goodall (b. April 3, 1934), who has spent the past half-century fusing together the scientific rigor of a pioneering primatologist with the spiritual wisdom of a phil... posted on Oct 26 2014 (21,417 reads)

going wrong. Patrise: One of our Daily Bread volunteers moved to New York and she very excitedly wrote me an email right after she moved. She said, “Guess what! I found something here that’s just like Daily Bread and now I’m delivering food in my neighborhood here.” Prakash: How has your perspective shifted through this journey? How do you look at even a small morsel of food? Carolyn: Well, all one has to do is witness hunger once to recognize the sacred nature of food. I think we, who don’t have a problem, can take it totally for granted that the meals show up on time. All you have to do is be hungry for a couple of days and it takes on an e... posted on Oct 30 2014 (16,468 reads)

in the neighborhood and participated in the development of the Play House performance space. Now, the Hinterlands is responsible for its programming. It’s a mutually beneficial partnership: the artistic community grows with the presence of the theatre arts, which is beyond the scope of Reichert and Cope’s practice, and the Hinterlands team becomes a responsible member of the community: shoveling the snow, unlocking the Play House door for other tenants. The essentially social nature of these projects is echoed in how other place-based artistic projects engage residents in their very making. The Alley Project facilitates youth/adult partnerships in Southwest Detroit, collab... posted on Nov 21 2014 (13,566 reads)