Browsing: Lifestyle

I often find myself reacting to their style of parenting (i.e., running wild in restaurants) in a judgmental way, so it’s hard for me to separate what is good for their daughter in terms of guidance versus letting the child use another, possibly temporary, way to control the whole family.

On the way back, a father and his adult son paused their hike to chat, telling us they lived north of Arkansas’ capital, Little Rock. Been there, I said, but hadn’t realized the state has such natural beauty too. The older man nodded. “Folks not from around here,” he said, looking pointedly at us, “think Arkansas is just a bunch of hillbillies. It has everything it needs: farms, cities, wilderness. We could fence it off and be our own country.”

Black Bench Chicago founder Alex Sims applauds other speakers as the organization’s first cohort of graduates gathers Nov. 14 during an event at Tree House in River North. The organization launched in the spring of 2021 with the goal of training a new generation of Black leaders in politics, government, policy and advocacy. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

You can safely meet with people (certainly masked and outside), and you should do your very best to get plenty of fresh air and gentle exercise, preferably with a partner. Take note of your body’s reaction to stress and do your best to deliberately turn off the negative tape playing in your head. Replace it with, “I can do this. I’m safe.”

It’s clear to me now that I’ll never know women, so please explain what just happened here: I met a woman on a dating app, and we had one of those perfect first dates – lots of laughs, lots of agreement, finishing each other’s sentences, easily planning the next date.

Ajimol Lukose, a senior director of nursing at Swedish Hospital, prayed daily for her patients as well as praying for scientists to discover medication and treatment. She recounts seeing her staffers sit at patients’ deathbeds, praying for them, holding their hands. “Because the family couldn’t be there, they were the people supporting them spiritually, holding a hand, saying a prayer, and letting them go, letting their soul go.”

Under the same ownership as Vail, Breckenridge, Alpine Valley and Brandywine and just over an hour drive from downtown Chicago, Wilmot Mountain is primed for a day trip or an impromptu getaway from the city. Day passes start at $70 with early-bird pricing through Nov. 21. Once you get your bearings, shoop down four green trails, seven blue trails and seven black diamond trails, or test out freestyle terrain parks with ramps, fun boxes and halfpipes.

Marzena Przeszlo, a staff chaplain in pastoral care services at the University of Illinois Hospital leads daily music and prayer for healthcare workers and patients at the hospital. After years comforting patients, like many chaplains, she has found herself increasingly supporting exhausted and struggling staff during the pandemic, from dispensing communion to, on a recent weekday morning, strumming a rendition of Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” as nurses sang along and her Toms shoes tapped the hospital floor.