“The days are long; the years are short.”

This quote from author Gretchen Rubin means a lot to me. This fall, I realized that not only are we moving towards a new year, we’re on the cusp of a whole new decade. What happened to the 20-teens?!

The past decade has been wonderful in many ways. And, it also brought some painful losses: the deaths of my mom, my favorite aunt, and my beloved soul-cat Sonny Boy – adopted when I lived on Kauai in 1994-95.

I almost deleted that last sentence. After all, this is my “holiday” newsletter and I feel an inner voice saying I should be upbeat. Let’s keep it real.

Here’s what I know for sure: in the press of life, we can feel stressed, pulled in many directions, and that the day may never end. The months and years fly by and suddenly we wonder: where did the time go? So, here’s a reminder to all of us: slow down, take a breath, look into the eyes of the humans and animals you care about. Feel the love. Savor this day.