Let me start by saying this: Technology isn’t all bad. It’s just best in small doses. Check out my ode to the merits – and downfalls – of technology.

Love it: I remember writing essays while attending high school and groaning in frustration when I made a mistake and didn’t have any correction ribbon left. Today, I vanquish typos with a quick keystroke.

Leave it: Oh, Mr. Spell Check. You trick people into thinking that an e-mail free of spelling errors prevents them from sending a message full of grammatical errors. Shame on you.

Love it: Sending a text message to a colleague, friend or loved one is extremely efficient.

Leave it: Dining with someone who is glued to their cell phone – barely nodding and mumbling “uh-huhs” as you attempt to converse with them – makes me want to take their phone and throw it across the room

Love it: I can’t express how much I loved playing “Super Mario Brothers” (all of them!) when I was in middle school. In case you’re wondering, I did not watch the related cheesy television show.

Leave it: Children who overindulge in video games can experience significant learning and developmental challenges. Moderation is key.

Love it: It’s so nice to shop online during the holidays and not risk my life battling the crowds for presents. During the Cabbage Patch Kids craze of 1983, my mom happily clutched one of the coveted dolls in her arms until a tall man reached down and ripped it out of her hands. There’s the spirit of Christmas.

Leave it: With convenience comes the fear of breached passwords and identify theft.

Love it: Online educational games provide a fun outlet for adults and kids alike.

Leave it: Where would I be without my memories of playing board games such as Uncle Wiggily and Scrabble? You can find many of these games online, but it’s just not the same as sitting around the table with family members on a Saturday night.

So, the moral of the story is moderation, moderation, moderation. It’s the philosophy I apply to most things in life, such as when I journey to Olive Garden and indulge in my favorite dessert. I would happily order two, but the thought of being carried out on a stretcher due to overeating deters me. It would just be too much of a good thing. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
 

It was hot – and I mean hot – the last time I visited Virginia. It was summer 2005 and we were spending the week with family friends. Just before dinner one evening, I decided to check my office voice-mail messages. And then … my cell phone died. I decided then and there to leave work behind during excursions.

Vacations have never been the same since – and that’s a good thing!

Devoting my attention 100% to just having fun enriches my experiences and helps me re-charge, which ultimately enhances my work when I return. 

A recent blog in The Washington Post about “vacation blues,” however, poses the question of how beneficial vacations truly are. Here’s an excerpt:

Turns out a Netherlands study found that many people have trouble relaxing during the early periods of their vacation. And for some, the vacation doesn’t make them any happier than people who don’t go away, reports Marta Zaraska, a Canadian freelance journalist and novelist who lives in France.

Our mood tends to be lowest through the first 10 percent of a holiday, one researcher found.

Another researcher says vacationers might be having trouble enjoying themselves because of “leisure sickness,” which is the inability to relax and adapt to the pace of life outside work.

Zaraska writes that other research shows that “even if we do enjoy our holiday, the moment we return to our home sweet home, the good mood starts to evaporate. Two weeks later, almost all the benefits of a vacation are gone.”

I actually disagree with much of the blog. When I traveled to Florida for a few days (not even a full week) earlier this summer, I was downright giddy at the airport, on the flight and throughout my entire trip. What’s not to love about splashing in the ocean, marveling at palm trees and delicious cuisine?

The part of the blog I do agree with is that it’s sort of a letdown when you get home because that vacation you’ve been anticipating – sometimes for several months – is now over. My cure when those vacation blues strike? Start planning the next one.

What do you think?

“Youth,” penned playwright Bernard Shaw, “is wasted on the young.”

Some people consider this expression as a criticism of young people. It has always compelled me, however, not to take my childhood or early adulthood for granted. That’s not to say that I’ll enter my Golden Years kicking and screaming when the time comes. Instead, I’ll recall Shaw’s words once again – this time living my older years to the fullest.

That’s how my grandmother approached life. Just months before she passed away, she was dancing her heart out to her favorite Rod Stewart song at her 84th birthday party. You truly are as old as you feel and she always refused to let her age define her.

She would have fit right in at a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC), which contains a high concentration of older adults, but wasn’t originally designed for seniors. The goal is to help residents maintain a strong sense of independence by promoting social engagement and providing access to a variety of supportive services (transportation, health care, education and more).

A recent BizVoice® story I wrote highlights a NORC in Linton as well as another type of senior-friendly community project under consideration in Rising Sun.

Elder-Friendly Communities (EFC)  – the state’s first NORC – was formed in 2004 on the northwest side of Indianapolis. Today, it boasts 163 individual households. Work is currently underway on a new initiative involving shared housing that will accommodate two to four older adults each. Residents will share one modified household while maintaining their private bedroom and bath. Potential benefits include preventing social isolation and enhancing safety.

I must admit that the irony is not lost on me. I’m a self-proclaimed pastry connoisseur and procurer of sugar-laden snacks, so the fact that I’m writing a blog promoting healthy food choices may surprise people who know me. But the truth is, I want to start eating healthier (did I just hear a pin drop?). That’s why a recent BizVoice® story – one that appeared in our inaugural wellness issue – was particularly fun to write.

The article focused on cultivating connections among local food artisans and producers. One resource I described was Edible Communities, Inc., (ECI) the world’s leading network of magazines dedicated to the local food movement. Hoosiers are represented in three of them: edible LOUISVILLE, edible INDY (debuted in June) and edible MICHIANA (launched this month). Each features profiles of local artisans and producers; colorful photos of mouthwatering cuisine; recipes and more.

Now, I’m no Gordon Ramsey — though a new indulgence of mine is watching old episodes of
Kitchen Nightmares, in which he visits fledgling restaurants to deliver tough love as only he can (mainly, it involves barking orders and moving staff to tears). I am, however, inspired to whip up a (healthy) culinary masterpiece.

Recipe for success… or disaster? Stay tuned!

“Fourth grade, here I come!” I thought as I left my third-grade classroom one last time. I didn’t know it yet that June afternoon in 1986, but no other teacher would ever make as meaningful an impression on me as the one I was leaving behind.

Our projects were fun and challenging, and although we respected her as the teacher and as the adult in the classroom, her playful and compassionate nature always made us feel like she was “one of us.”

Recently, I spoke with another educator who is playing an important role in her students’ lives. Alene Smith – a civics, law and social studies teacher at Shortridge Magnet High School for Law and Public Policy – is helping sophomores learn about careers in the legal profession through job shadowing, internships and a variety of classroom activities through the national Street Law program.

When I spoke with Smith for a BizVoice® story about the program, I could hear the pride in her voice as she described the mutual admiration between attorneys and students, and I heard the passion as she praised the initiative’s educational value.

Recently, the Indiana State Teachers Association recognized Smith with the 2011 Horace Mann Hoosier Educator of the Year award.
 

They say you don’t truly appreciate what you have until it’s gone. I can personally relate to that. My grandmother passed away last year and now that she’s no longer here, I wish I had taken advantage of more opportunities to learn from her wisdom.

Many businesses are experiencing their own losses – with the impact felt more on their bottom lines than in their hearts – as seniors retire from the workforce and take their knowledge with them.

Addressing the shrinking and aging of the nation’s workforce is at the center of the Workforce Wise initiative, launched by the Chamber in December 2009. We’re covering this topic with a five-part series in BizVoice® magazine. The current issue features the second installment, which focuses on training opportunities for older workers.

Sometimes, downsizing or a desire to switch careers prompts seniors to pursue training. Often, this happens in the manufacturing field, where people need to upgrade their skills to meet the increasingly complex demands of new technology. Higher education institutions often partner with companies and individuals to provide the training. Ivy Tech Community College’s work in this area is highlighted in the story, along with an organization called Experience Works, which delivers training and employment assistance to low-income, unemployed individuals age 55 and older.

What I miss even more than my grandmother’s cooking (she always lamented that her food didn’t turn out well while the rest of our family members were clamoring for her recipes), is her wisdom.  “What you worry about today, you’ll laugh about tomorrow,” she would say. That was one of my favorites.

Perhaps companies that prepare now for the retirement of older workers will have the last laugh.

It’s time to tune into GLE! Not “Glee,” the pop culture phenomenon about a high school show choir. I’m referring to GLE, which stands for Get Linked Expo, a regional event bringing together business leaders from six Central Indiana counties: Delaware, Hamilton, Hancock, Henry, Madison and Marion.

GLE is all about one thing: connections. It will promote networking among participants (more than 1,000 people are expected to attend) and vendors (over 100 will showcase their products and services). Industries represented include technology, business services and economic development.

The Indiana Chamber is among Hoosier organizations partnering on the event. Individuals can attend for free by registering in advance. GLE will take place on November 4 at Hoosier Park Racing and Casino in Anderson from 3-7 p.m., followed by an after-hours mixer.

Take advantage of this opportunity to reach out to – and learn from – fellow Indiana businesses.

Learn more.