Budget Japan/Luggage pillow/Anchoring heart technique
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Budget Japan
Japan is not as expensive to travel in as many believe. This excellent video guide to budget travel in Japan is very relevant now that the yen is so cheap. How Expensive is it to Travel in Japan? Is a 30-minute YouTube video by a British Guy, Abroad in Japan, and he covers all the tricks of cheap Japan travel that I know. — KK
Stuffable neck pillow doubles as extra luggage
My wife recently discovered a brilliant travel accessory — the EZ4UVOY stuffable neck pillow. It's a soft velvet neck pillow that you can fill with clothes or other soft items, giving you extra packing space without counting as additional carry-on luggage. You can fit 4-5 pieces of clothing inside, saving baggage fees. While it can get a bit heavy when fully packed, the pillow is comfortable to use on the plane once stuffed, and comes with a shoulder strap and a clip to keep it in a curved shape. — MF
Anchoring Heart Technique
To allow peace and pain to sit side by side, I practice this Anchoring Heart Technique by Deborah Grassman. It was initially created to help military veterans in hospice care, but is universally effective for anyone wishing to embrace conflicting feelings. How it works:
- Place one hand or both hands firmly and tenderly over your heart. Breathe deeply.
- Feel whatever you are experiencing, even if it’s just for a few seconds.
- Be curious about the place inside you that is strong enough to hold your pain without fear. Get to know your BRAVE SPACE.
There is something very powerful and effective about being able to name your tension and embrace it at the same. It really is a very simple and beautiful act of self-compassion. Here’s a link to a 10-minute video that expands on how and why it works. — CD
Drown proofing
I read this short one-page article years ago and still remember its lesson vividly: Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning. A drowning person does not splash, flail, and yell. They are quiet and incapable of splashing, yelling, or even lifting their arms. “Children playing in the water make noise. When they get quiet, you get to them and find out why.” Read this and maybe save a life. — KK
Anagram Sentence Generator
If you ever need to find words within words, anagrams.io is a useful website to bookmark. It’s a free anagram sentence generator for English, German, French, and Spanish. — CD
Page-a-Day Calendar by Seth Godin and Debbie Millman
Marketing guru Seth Godin and artist Debbie Millman have teamed up to create a unique page-a-day calendar for 2025, called Go Make a Ruckus. Each day features one of Seth's inspiring quotes, beautifully hand-lettered by Debbie. It's a fun way to get a daily dose of Seth's wisdom and Debbie's artistry. — MF
