This morning, Mel and I attended a Zumba class together. It was really fun—challenging without being so onerous that it felt like a grind. Knowing that I had that activity at 9:30 and that my afternoon would be consumed by preparations for a family feast tomorrow, I got my morning Duolingo practice out of the way as soon as I woke up.

I spent the afternoon in the kitchen, making lunch, prepping numerous dishes for tomorrow, then making supper. Some dishes passed the Mary Poppins' test—"practically perfect in every way"—while others fell a little short of perfection, at least in my eyes. So I was happy to reread my post on Fuss-free entertaining, especially the opinion of professional cook Kelly Vaughn, who said that guests don't want perfection from their hosts. "They just want good company and a decent meal." I'm certain that everyone will love the food or at least appreciate the effort that went into making it. I will feel the same way about the food that my family members will bring.

"At some point, you hit the exit, but until then, enjoy the ride."

~ Michael J. Fox

What will I do [with the time I have left]? I will show loved ones that I care. I will write often, with the aim of inspiring and uplifting others. I will share my good fortune with others by giving of myself. I will share what I've learned. Along with giving, I will take. I will take time in nature and walk every day, as much as possible with loved ones. I will take advantage of beautiful weather. I will take compliments and say thank you. I will take in the beauty that surrounds me—in music, words and images. I will take all the love that is given to me and do my best to reflect that love back out to the world.

One friend shared a list of things he no longer wants to do with the time he has left. And another noted that the amount of time we have to spend on the people and things that we love is not as important as the quality of that time.

Even better than finding joy is making joy. It starts with giving ourselves permission to experience joy and continues with unashamedly acknowledging the things that make us happy.

As both a leader and a parent...I have tried to follow advice I picked up many years ago from parenting expert Barbara Coloroso, namely, to catch them doing things right. In other words, don't try to catch people doing something wrong so that you can reprimand them. Catch them doing something right so that you can praise them, thereby reinforcing the behaviours you want to see.

"One of the best ways to build a new habit is to identify a current habit you already do each day and then stack your new behavior on top. This is called habit stacking.... By linking your new habits to a cycle that is already built into your brain, you make it more likely that you'll stick to the new behavior."

~ James Clear

~ Andrea Chesterman-Smith, Take my hand

When we think we haven't given enough, we need to recognize that our expectations and not those of our intended recipients are often the source of our self-doubt. What we give with love is always enough.

Looking back on this experience, [professional cook Kelly Vaughn] realized: "when you get too focused on making everything just so, it makes less fun for you and for your guests." Guests don't want perfection from their hosts, she conceded; "They just want good company and a decent meal."

As a leader, I took Barbara Coloroso's advice into the workplace, catching my employees when they did something that I wanted to reinforce. This could be politely responding to a client, giving credit to a colleague or paying attention to detail. I tried to never take for granted performance that was consistent with what I wanted to see. I strove to make my praise both immediate and concrete. It was a natural extension of what I endeavoured to do as a parent.

"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time."

~ Leo Tolstoy

In addition to co-mentor (anyone from a colleague to a friend who needs you as much as you need them) and remote mentor (someone outside your organization who can offer objective advice), the management tip recommended the invisible mentor. On the latter, the HBR tip said: "You don't have to have a personal relationship with this mentor. You learn from observing and following her example."

Someone remarked to me today that "everyone around you is teaching you something, directly or indirectly, for better or for worse." I'm grateful for all the people who taught me over the last three and a half decades, sharing lessons that served me in the workplace and continue to serve me in life.

The poem [by Khalil Gibran] reminded me of the days and weeks following my unexpected diagnosis with ovarian cancer. I didn't want to be a cancer patient. I was fearful of the impacts of cancer treatment. I was afraid that I might disappear, not simply into the ocean, but from this world entirely. But, as Khalil Gibran says, "Nobody can go back. To go back is impossible in existence." I moved forward. And, in doing so, I joined millions of other cancer patients and cancer survivors. Just as the river adds its water to that of the ocean, I added my story to that of many who had come before me. My story didn't disappear into the ocean: it became part of the ocean.

Priorities are a bit like a personal budget. Few of us have a personal budget, where we write down how much we're going to spend on shelter, food, clothing, entertainment. Instead, we tend to have a gut feel for what we can afford and where we're spending our money. We often create a budget only when we're forced to, for example, when our expenses start to outpace our income. In my experience, the same is true for our personal priorities. We often have a gut feel for where we think we should be spending our time and where we're actually spending our time—and the greater the disconnect we perceive between these two, the greater our level of stress.

"Language is the most direct connection to other cultures. Being able to communicate in another language exposes us to and fosters an appreciation for the traditions, religions, arts, and history of the people associated with that language. Greater understanding, in turn, promotes greater tolerance, empathy, and acceptance of others—with studies showing that children who have studied another language are more open toward and express more positive attitudes toward the culture associated with that language."

~ Top Ten Reasons to Learn Languages

I...am filled with Christmas spirit, but not for everything. I love the great food of the season, but not the shopping. I like decorations, but few modern Christmas songs. I'm happy to send Christmas cards, but dislike wrapping presents. I like giving, but hate the anxiety that comes with wondering whether I'm buying the right thing. I like spending time with loved ones, but hate malls and crowds. So I choose to be choosy. And like many choices I'm making these days, I'm taking the best and leaving the rest.