Lana Maryé Morelli

If you read last week’s blog, you understand that it wasn’t an easy week for me. If you didn’t read last week’s blog, I’m not going to re-hash it, but what I will say is this—losing a pet is hard.   So, when life dishes out something that is difficult, depressing or tiresome, I think we are entitled to a break. We are allowed to reward ourselves for surviving and getting through a particularly hard time. The problem is that life isn’t always fair. Just because you’ve made it through something hard doesn’t mean it will be offset by something wonderful. The Yin and Yang of the universe are not in perfect harmony. There is the “unknown” that we must factor in.   Dare I say it, but sometimes when things are hard, it only means more “hard” is right behind it. This is why I believe that when life offers a “break in the action,” even if it’s just a few hours, we should grab onto it with both hands. During this proverbial “break,” I think we are entitled to something nice. ...

This weekend is Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer [Enter: Sigh of relief] Summer means no more snow, no more cold nights and no more bundling up in jackets, scarves or hats. Summer means running around in flip-flops, short shorts and tank tops. Being able to drop the top on your car, open the sunroof or roll down the windows. Summer is a time when we’ve replaced hot cocoa with ice cream; Christmas lights for lightening bugs and warm blankets for sandy beach towels. Instead of being hit in the face with cold air as you walk out your front door, you’re hit with a heat wave that smells faintly of honeysuckles and swimming pool chlorine. The days are longer and it just seems like the nights are more fun! ;) We are more likely to venture out for happy hour or hang with friends at a barbeque. We are more apt to travel, plan road-trips or an outing. Summer means more freedom and fewer restrictions because the weather is working with us, not against us. But above all of t...

Mother’s Day is Sunday. It’s the Hallmark-official day when we are required to celebrate our mothers. In theory it’s nice. It says, “On this special day in May, make sure you tell Mom how great she is.” Okay we can live with that… but in reality; it doesn’t fit into such a neat little box…  If you are a person who has a strained relationship with your mother, then Mother’s Day is not exactly your favorite time of the year. Truth is, not everyone has the Mrs. Brady mother type. You don’t have to get a license or pass a test to procreate, therefore, some people, who aren’t quite suited for the job, end up becoming mothers. So for those people, the day is awkward, forced and fake. You participate because you feel obligated. If you are person who lost your mother, (especially if it’s recent) then Mother’s Day is painful. You don’t want to be reminded that you are without a Mother to celebrate. If you are a person who has been trying to conceive a child, but have been unsuccess...

Easter is on Sunday. For 20something’s and adults that means we have to hit the gym because Spring is in full force and Summer is just around the corner. For children it means something much different. For them they look forward to the Easter bunny hopping up to their door leaving them hidden colored eggs and a basket full of candy. It’s so cute and warm and fuzzy….right? WRONG! Why in God’s name do we adults continue to convince the innocent children of the world that a life-size bunny hops around the whole world in one day distributing eggs and candy? When we really think about this, logically it’s bizarre and creepy. But this is only the start. What about Halloween? We tell kids not to talk to strangers and never to accept a gift or food from someone they don’t know. Yet, on Halloween, we encourage them to dress up in a costume, walk up to a stranger’s front door and tell them its okay to take the food. See a Mixed Message here? Then there is Christmas …we express to chil...

This week has been crazy, I wanted to sit down and BLOG right after Christmas but the hustle and bustle of the season swept me away. As I sit here and write the word “Christmas”... I pause...Is that okay to post? Is it politically correct to say Christmas? I hope I don't offend anyone! Then I stop and think about how absurd it is that I'm actually thinking this! So here goes my Christmas rant...I'm not really sure exactly when it started but we are now being programmed to stop ourselves from saying “Merry Christmas” and now say “Happy Holiday’s.” The change is abrupt and we stop mid-sentence. I find that sometimes I end up in a awkward stutter as I try and redeem my comment. My desperate attempt to be politically correct comes out in a broken mess “Merry Chris…ugh….Holidays” completely embarrassing I am Catholic and I celebrate Christmas. I believe in Santa, candy canes, baby Jesus and Christmas Tree’s (not necessarily in that order). Just because this is what I believ...