This is the first time I’ve written in more than a month. A break-up will do that to you. Separating my life from someone after nearly five years has been a life-altering experience, to say the least. And amidst the process of moving out, moving in, not having access to a personal computer, and crying on the shoulder of my mother . . . I felt like I lost it.

May 1, 2011 will go down in history as the day that terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden was killed. Never to be happy over somebody’s demise, I was unashamedly ecstatic to hear the news that he was killed by US troops. I remember that morning on September 11, 2001, watching the news, still in bed. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the first airplane crash into the Twin Towers.

There will always be “haters”—people who get a kick out of seeing someone else fail. Those are individuals you want to steer clear of. A friend should provide support when success comes your way as well as when you feel down and out. This year, try making it a point to evaluate who in your life is worthy of your friendship.

We naturally feel a newfound sense of compassion for these people during the holidays, handing out dollars where we can. Being selfless is part of the holidays, a time for you to step out of your comfort zone and also provide volunteer services, canned goods, and clothing for those who may only be able to repay you with a smile.

In the words of Erich Fromm, “Giving is the highest expression of potency. In the very act of giving, I experience my strength, my wealth, my power. This experience of heightened vitality and potency fills me with joy. I experience myself as overflowing, spending, alive, hence, as joyous.”

Los Angeles Fashion Week is a time for designers to showcase their upcoming seasonal collections, a time for celebrities to show their faces and prove that they are the biggest fans of this or that designer, and a time for the media to roll tape. And most obviously, amongst the entertaining and eventful days of Fashion Week, it is a time when the stage is being set for trends and what will be hot for next season. These “trends” are what we, consumers, will eventually see trickle down into an affordable store and set on display for us to snatch up.

Through meditative techniques, we can see our thoughts for what they are. Spontaneous interruptions to our flow of energy that we can choose to watch pass by or stop and worry over. Ultimately, we can choose to use the energy of our minds to create what we need, and even unwanted worries can work for us to create what we need.

Ocean currents move pollutants into sensitive areas in Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, and even Florida. Also, as we deplete an area’s resources, there are political consequences. Carelessness has disastrous results. Consequently, we need to manage our resources carefully. On a more minute level, we have to pay claims to those who’ve lost their lives in backyards where we’ve tossed our refuse and which undermines the infrastructure of our society. We need to limit our use of oil.

I know of many girls who do not have female friends because they say that they can’t trust them, and that backstabbing is too prevalent. I say that’s because you don’t have the right friends.

Early mornings I walk, and as I walk, I think. As I think, I breathe. I look at my feet as they hit the ground and see rocks of varying colors, sizes, and shapes. I am careful to step over large boulders, and I walk carefully over soft sand. As I listen to the sound of my hiking boots hitting the ground, I find my mind wandering. Thoughts come and go, demanding to be heard. I struggle against them as I hear the sound of birds interrupting the constant drone of ideas coming in and fading out.