The Brick Magazine

LISTEN TO YOUR DAYDREAMS

Julie Palmer2021-12-01T10:09:20-05:00

December 2021 Photo on Unsplash By Maria Sylvester, MSW, CPC If you’re desiring a quick trick to manifest your heart’s longings — to live what really matters to you — read on! The secret is contained in your daydreams, my friend. Daydreams are those thoughts, fantasies, or dream-like images and musings that cross our minds repeatedly as we go about our daily activities. All too frequently, we view these colorful ideas as interruptions to our train of thought. We write off our daydreams as silly distractions interfering with what we have to do. Often, we flat-out ignore our daydreams. Bad idea [...]

LISTEN TO YOUR DAYDREAMSJulie Palmer2021-12-01T10:09:20-05:00

THE GIFT OF LISTENING

Julie Palmer2021-12-01T10:09:26-05:00

December 2021 Photo of Pexels By Crystal Abitz, MA, LMT, CSCS So much noise. Outside. Inside. All around. I try to listen. I try to focus. Nothing. There is an overwhelming amount of noise, but nothing worth processing. I hear noise. I’m lost in our conversation; I don’t hear you. I can’t even hear myself. I forgot why I was listening, what I was trying to hear. The lights, noises, chaos, and clutter. I’m somewhat paralyzed and spinning in a vortex. The buzz is all around me, but I can’t seem to connect to anyone or anything. I’m here, but I [...]

THE GIFT OF LISTENINGJulie Palmer2021-12-01T10:09:26-05:00

COFFEE-CARDAMOM BANANA BREAD IN A PINCH

Julie Palmer2021-10-26T13:22:18-04:00

Photo by Jeff Vanderspank on Unsplash By Tanja Rohn MacKenzie I can rarely follow a recipe. I can’t help but browse through a few, get inspired, and adapt. I don’t know where I picked up this baking methodology, but there it is. Raising two school-age kids gave me the opportunity to get creative with after-school snacks. They didn’t like that too much. Chunks of nuts in the banana bread? “Yuck!” Chocolate chunks instead of chips? “What is this?” Flaky salt on top? “Too crunchy.” No matter. My solo tea-time was delicious. Enjoy this treat all by yourself while the littles are [...]

COFFEE-CARDAMOM BANANA BREAD IN A PINCHJulie Palmer2021-10-26T13:22:18-04:00

SEEKING CLARITY THROUGH BLIND SPOTS

Julie Palmer2021-10-26T13:10:59-04:00

Photo by Tara Winstead on Unsplash By Michelle Winters Blind spots. We’ve all got them. Oftentimes, these occur within the bounds of love, either for someone or something. Our emotions get in the way of seeing things with the clarity that others may have. For some parents, it might be an inability to see their own children’s behavior objectively. For teenagers and young adults, it can be a failure to see consequences on the other side of bad decisions. For many leaders, it often presents as a disconnect from subordinates or students. Blind spots are those personal traits that can be [...]

SEEKING CLARITY THROUGH BLIND SPOTSJulie Palmer2021-10-26T13:10:59-04:00

HERD IMMUNITY

Julie Palmer2021-10-26T16:05:19-04:00

Photo on Unsplash By Lisa Profera MD You’ve probably heard about herd immunity more than ever over the last 20 months. But what is it exactly? According to the Oxford Dictionary, herd immunity is a “resistance to the spread of an infectious disease within a population that is based on pre-existing immunity of a high proportion of individuals as a result of previous infection or vaccination." When we refer to a “herd” of humans, we generally mean a portion of our community — this can be local, regional, national, or even global. When a large portion of the community is protected from [...]

HERD IMMUNITYJulie Palmer2021-10-26T16:05:19-04:00

TIFFANY BIRCH, OWNER AND NATIONALLY PUBLISHED DESIGNER OF BIRCH DESIGN ASSOCIATES

Julie Palmer2021-10-26T16:32:09-04:00

Photo by John Sobczak By Marji Wisniewki The Psychology of Home Design Right away, I felt at ease speaking with Tiffany Birch, the owner of Birch Design Associates. We found common ground over an admiration of a mutual friend and the paint color, Naval. It was as if I had known Tiffany for a long time, even though we were only a few minutes into our interview. That’s one of her strengths as a designer. She loves people, and it shows. Tiffany aims to have each interaction with her clients be personable, enjoyable, and most importantly, fun. She’s Ann Arbor’s own [...]

TIFFANY BIRCH, OWNER AND NATIONALLY PUBLISHED DESIGNER OF BIRCH DESIGN ASSOCIATESJulie Palmer2021-10-26T16:32:09-04:00