Envy happens in my gut not in my head. It's a disturbing and tumultuous sensation that combines jealousy, inspiration, and regret simultaneously. I admire an attribute or skill that you have — maybe an aspect of willpower, passion, humility, confidence, or commitment. I find it appealing and I’m intrigued enough to want to try it myself. Envy motivates me to examine the tiniest details of what I admire — to deconstruct it so I can reconstruct it.

Wondering how I came up with this topic? My very special grandson loves pickles, so I try to have some in my refrigerator. Sweet pickles are tasty, but sour dill pickles are the best. So yesterday I stopped at the local deli to buy their crunchy homemade version. The server surprised me with the question, “How are you going to USE these pickles?” He didn't say, “eat,” he said “use!” Turns out, he’s an awesome source of pickle wisdom.

One day a villager came to a wise Taoist for advice about forgiveness. The wise man gave the villager an empty sack and a basket of potatoes with these directions:

“Think of all the people who have done or said something that offended you, especially those you cannot forgive..."

Every day I turn to nature as a way to de-stress. I count on the energy of the sun, the sky, the water, and the spontaneity of it all to meet me with calming, awe-inspiring experiences. But lately nature has been flexing its muscles and putting on a show so startling that we humans are forced to attention. In a short time we've witnessed a partial eclipse of the sun, wild fires, an earthquake, and hurricanes.