September 2018 - The Brick Magazine

Treats Post-Tricks

Sarah Whitsett2018-09-30T20:50:01+00:00September 30th, 2018|Recipes|

By: Jillian Fraioli Out of all the holiday memories, Halloween memories always jump out at me first. My mother loved to go all out. We had a screened-in front porch where she’d tie up sheets splattered with glow-in-the-dark paint, and hang cobwebs and creepy crawlies. She’d take a huge cauldron and get dried ice for the night. She’d dress up as a witch, with scars, teased hair, and full makeup. My father would put up black lights, furthering the effect. Right before the kids would swarm the neighborhood, my mom would start up the cassette player, all set with spooky tunes [...]

HERsay: A Tale of Women With Something to Say

Sarah Whitsett2018-09-30T20:42:04+00:00September 30th, 2018|Ann Arbor Interest, Inspirational|

By Patti Smith There were three reasons why I created HERsay: I wanted more judgment-free performance opportunities for people; I loathe hearing people say women aren’t funny; and women’s voices need to be heard. I’ve done public speaking my entire adult life, and it is never not scary. But stories need to be told and there are never enough places for public telling. Our local storytellers’ guild does an outstanding job of providing safe spaces for storytelling, and opportunities arise now and again, but I wanted something for all types of artists — visual artists, musicians, poets, actors, improvisers. There must be [...]

Leading the Way: Ushering In a New Way of Being

Sarah Whitsett2018-10-06T12:07:23+00:00September 30th, 2018|Ann Arbor Interest, Inspirational, Spirituality|

By: Sharon Lawlor While traveling over the summer with my ten-year-old daughter and husband, I was taken back to the days when I was a young girl traveling with my family — no maps pulled up at the press of a finger, no Siri telling you where to go. In today’s world, one can turn on their maps app, enter where they want to go, and basically slip into autopilot, knowing that the phone will direct you step-by-step along the way. There is such a tunnel vision that happens here. Not even for a moment do we pause to wonder what [...]

Harvesting Your Strengths in Relationships

Sarah Whitsett2018-09-30T20:07:53+00:00September 30th, 2018|Relationships|

by Maria Sylvester Where there is the greatest love, there are always miracles. ~ Willa Cather When was the last time you celebrated what was working well in your relationships? When was the last time you noted what you were contributing? Rather than feeling inadequate when a connection steers off course, why not help set it straight again by plugging into your relationship superpowers? Do you know what yours are? Noting that is definitely worth a moment of reflection. Don’t fall into the trap of focusing on what isn’t working, or on the problems you are having with someone. Instead, concentrate [...]

Magical Halloween Memories

Sarah Whitsett2018-09-30T20:00:14+00:00September 30th, 2018|Parenting|

By: Randi Rubenstein It was November 1st, 2017. I’m driving my sixth-grade son, Cory, home from school and he says, “Halloween really sucked this year.” Immediately my brain started swirling. I felt my body temperature rise and my heart began racing ever so slightly. This is what happens when you find yourself in a triggered moment. What happens next is usually words, actions and behaviors that you don’t really want to do or say, but nonetheless, you find yourself in The Parent Gap. The Parent Gap is the name of the book I wrote and the term I use to explain [...]

Finding Your Way HOME

Sarah Whitsett2018-09-30T19:38:11+00:00September 30th, 2018|Inspirational|

By Alycia M. Huston, NeuroLeadership Consultant I know that for me, home is comfort, love, peace, and support. For others, home may be represented by adventure, nomadic experiences, or a myriad of friends. There is truly no one, two, or three ways it must be classified; the truth is, YOU create what it means. As I sit at my dining room table and peer out of my white plantation blinds, a smile comes to my face. I actually FEEL a sense of peace. I see my beautiful birds-of-paradise along with the other handsome greenery that makes my heart sing. What I [...]

Walking for Mom: One Woman’s Quest for Alzheimer’s First Survivor

Sarah Whitsett2018-09-29T12:07:11+00:00September 29th, 2018|Ann Arbor Interest|

By Catherine Nouhan Charlene Mangi is joining hundreds in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease at the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Ann Arbor on October 7. Her journey with Alzheimer’s disease began ten years ago when Kathleen, Charlene’s mother, began showing signs of younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Charlene and her father, Jim, knew that there was a problem, but did not first suspect Alzheimer’s disease. Kathleen was only in her late fifties; she would get very upset if Charlene or Jim suggested that she was experiencing some form of memory loss. “My mom has always been really smart, very intellectual and independent, [...]

Do It Your Way | Choosing to Do What You Love

Sarah Whitsett2018-09-29T11:53:15+00:00September 29th, 2018|Ann Arbor Interest, Career, Inspirational|

By Kristen Domingue In our interview with Kelly Callison of a2vintage, an online and offline vintage and antique dealer, we noticed her commitment to doing what she loved and how much it informed every choice in her life. Whether she’s in the process of reclaiming something once-loved for resale, or simply living and loving her family and friends, Kelly is a model of what it means to put love first. Kelly is is a sterling example of what it looks like when we let love win — both in business and in life. ___ I went to graduate school at the University [...]

Light Layers: Best Outerwear for Early Fall

Sarah Whitsett2018-09-29T11:44:01+00:00September 29th, 2018|Fashion|

By Angela Harrison Happy fall, y’all! For Michiganders, I think it’s safe to say this is one of our favorite seasons. Though fall temps and colors don’t last long, we seem to find a way to milk it for all it’s got, and that includes the fashion. October tends to be a tricky month for dressing — we experience a whole range of weather, which can make it hard to know what to wear. Mornings can start out chilly and then reach 75 degrees, making that coat you brought for running around town seem like a cruel joke. So, what’s the [...]

Woman on the Street | The Puerto Rican and the Swede

Sarah Whitsett2018-09-29T11:27:36+00:00September 29th, 2018|Inspirational|

By Stephanie Saline I’d popped out of my house to check and see if the mail had come yet. It hadn’t yet, but I looked up and noticed Louis was in his car, idling. Louis is a retired police officer whose adult daughters live in the house across the street. He sometimes sits in his car in front of our house, waiting with his windows down. It’s always struck me as a retired police officer thing to do. Side bar: I don’t think I’ve ever seen Louis outside his car. I didn’t have anywhere particular to be, so I ran down [...]

Good EMF: The Benefits of Bioenergy

Sarah Whitsett2018-09-29T11:18:42+00:00September 29th, 2018|Health|

By Lisa Profera, MD Fall is here and the days are getting shorter. That means colder weather, more overcast days, and less sunlight. It also means less outdoor time in general. Most of us have heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): a condition of low energy and moodiness due to less exposure to sunlight or full-spectrum light. However, did you know that people can also experience bodily dysfunction and fatigue when they don’t get enough electromagnetic energy input from the ground? Although there is no “official” name for this condition, I refer to it as Bio-Energy Dysfunction Disorder (BEDD). We are [...]

What Are You Afraid Of? (Those Monsters Hiding Under Your Bed Might Just Be Dust Bunnies)

Sarah Whitsett2018-09-29T11:08:02+00:00September 29th, 2018|Minimalism|

By Bridget Baker Goblins, ghouls, and the zombie apocalypse are the stuff of horror movies and haunted houses. Going into your closet and unearthing those skeletons of clutter can be even more frightening. Closets, basements, garages, and even spare bedrooms are where all of the things we've been avoiding get shoved or stored. Even if we have cleverly disguised our clutter skeletons with fancy costumes via neatly-labeled storage bins, it is still the deep, dark recesses of what we have been putting off that lurks in the shadows. With the onset of cold weather and less sunlight in the day than [...]