Reaching  to touch you when  you are not there causes  this yearning pain and yet I reach  out still  - Wanda M. Toby

A reminder to breathe. An article from www.sciencealert.com highlights a study that suggest Just Looking at Photos of Nature Could Be Enough to Lower Your Work Stress Levels . High lights: "A new study has found that just looking at still images of nature is enough 'natural' stimulus to lower our stress levels." "When participants viewed the natural images in the experiment, their stress levels lowered, thanks to the activation of their parasympathetic nervous system – which controls certain rest functions."

Working and being productive is a very important aspect of our lives. It is the way most of use make a living that in turn supports our lifestyle and keeps a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs. Keeping a job helps us to meet out daily needs and therefore keep our stress levels down because we do not have to worry too much about maintaining our basic needs. Work also helps with our self-esteem and self confidence. We feel that we are being productive and contributing to the world around us. Work, as satisfying as it can be, can also be a cause of stress. This article, Leaving Work Stress at Work gives some quick tips on how to deal with work stress when we are away from work. - Create a productive and safe work environment - Listen to music on the way home - Listen to an audio book or something that makes you happy - Take the long way home and avoid rush hour traffice. No need to rush. - Stop thinking about work and focus on anything that keeps you in the present mo...

All These Kisses by Tammy Rivera makes me feel special. You ever listen to a song that takes you back to a special time in life or makes you want to create a special time? Day so hard, so much stress Life won't let up, boy just rest Lay down and let me cover you in all these kisses So much on your mind it weighs on your head But baby your worry free in this bed Go head and let me cover you in all these kisses - All These Kisses, Tammy Rivera It is a super sexy song but it give a little more. If you haven't taken the time to pamper your special someone and help them out through some rough times then make a plan to do just that. You do not have to wait till Valentine's Day to do so either. Make each other feel special. That is what this song inspires. Be the haven where they can let go of their stress.  Ladies and gentlemen, your kisses are priceless. Your affection, your love, your attention are the things that give others strength and support. With t...

Star Wars: The Last Jedi I really did not have any intention of seeing this movie or doing a review; however, I happen to have the opportunity to watch it and was pleasantly surprised. I am a fan of the original Lucas driven Star Wars series. I eagerly went to see the Stars Wars: The Force Awakens and left the theater wanting which is why when The Last Jedi came out, I was not at all eager to go see it. I am glad that I did. I enjoyed it so much more than The Force Awakens . The special effects, fighting sequences, acting and comedic elements were all there and on point. I think the difference between The Last Jedi and The Force is that I was more invested in the characters. There was more of a baseline to go from and the plot was better/ more cleverly crafted than the Force Awakens. There were some plot points that I thought could have went differently, particularly with Luke but overall, I enjoyed it a lot more than the Force Awakens. My kids went to see it and they did not...

Miguel's Coffee Music has been shown to help with stress relief. You will constantly read from me how the arts are important to our overall wellbeing and stress managment. If a regular dose of music is not part of your daily regiment then make some time to start including it. In general, I miss R&B. I miss listneing to it as much as I used to. R&B can be the soundtrack to my life. I have been working on listening to it more again. There are some wonderful R&B artists out there. I love Miguel's Coffee. Sometimes it is okay to get lost in a beautiful moment between two people. That is what this song reminds me of. A little slice of getting lost away from the hustle, bustle and daily demands of responsibilities.

Enigma It is okay to be yourself even if that is not what others expect. It is okay to be yourself even if it is not what you expect. Life is worth our breath, our experience, our being. So, it is okay to just be. Enigma I am simple but not at all basic, complex but not at all complicated I'm  me -Wanda M. Toby

Bright Bright is Netflix's first foray into major big budget films for the digital screen, starring Will Smith. Bright takes place in an alternate modern day where elves, orcs, fairies, humans and all other sorts of beings coexist. It is a day in the life of two cops that find themselves caught up in saving the world from a dangerous evil as they protect an elf with the magical wand that if it falls into the wrong hands can spell disaster for all. To start of, Bright received horrible critical reviews. They tanked the movie. Part of me wonders if it was because overall Bright has cops looking like crap. At any rate, it is a good thing it was free because I doubt so many people would have watched it. I would have attempted to watch regardless of the critical bashing only because of Will Smith. However, I almost did not get through it. Why? Because he was not married to a sister. In fact where were the sisters? In this day in age where Black woman have to look deep within for s...