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We live in polarizing times. It’s a period characterized not just by galvanizing issues, but by a great deal of vitriolic rhetoric. Every time we turn on the radio or TV, or even turn around in our homes or offices, we’re likely to get an earful of why one person or position is right and another is totally, unredeemably wrong.

Show me your refrigerator and I’ll tell you who you are — or at least, who you think you are.

This year, a good friend of mine was diagnosed with cancer.

If there’s one editorial temptation we’ve worked hard to avoid here at Experience Life , it’s the category of “gimmicks and hype.”

This past January, I celebrated my 40th birthday. And thus, I’ve spent much of the year noticing what it feels like to utter those potentially charged words in a matter-of-fact way: I’m forty.

For as short as everybody likes to remind us that life is, in truth, if we’re blessed with good health and good luck, it goes on for a good long while. And all the way along, it’s filled with twists and turns, steep hills, long plateaus, and surprises of all kinds.

We tend to think of the quest to improve our health and fitness as a solitary endeavor. We imagine it’s something we have to do, and take responsibility for, all on our own.

We love our children. We worry about our children. And, of course, we always want what’s best for them. But sometimes, by acting out of our instinctive desire to help our kids every step of the way, I believe we wind up doing them a disservice.

When I was about 12 years old, I saw the 1971 film Harold and Maude for the first time, and I, like many others, found myself changed by it.

It’s interesting that in a society fixated on adventure and excitement, so many of us choose to lead lives defined by deeply entrenched routines. In fact, I suspect our vicarious fixation on others’ thrill rides is likely fueled by our real-life tendency toward mindless repetition.

I am a person surrounded by books. Wonderful books. Brilliant books. Books galore. Books a-go-go. I love books. And I haven’t nearly enough time to read them all.

In a culture where most of us are overwhelmed by too much stress, too much stuff, too many unhealthy temptations and way too many daily choices, it’s important to note that there are still a few areas where, in general, more really is better. Three examples come to mind …

Once, when I was about 8 years old, I tried that tricky housecleaning shortcut where you sweep some dirt under an area rug rather than bothering with a dustpan.

In recent years, there’s been a surge of popular interest in detoxification regimens – the kind that help flush food-borne and environmental toxins out of our systems.

So much of what we do, we do automatically. Because it’s easy, or it’s there, or because it’s just what people do.

Over the past year, many individuals and businesses have gotten more interested in “going green” – increasing their energy efficiency, reducing their chemical usage, shrinking their carbon footprints, and so on. And there are certainly plenty of good reasons for this.

One of the great joys of editing this magazine is striving (albeit sometimes clutzily) to walk its wonderful talk.

When I heard we were focusing on life balance this month, I said: Great! I can talk about that for hours!

Ah, the new year. It’s kind of like starting a new journal, a new chapter, a new relationship. It’s all fresh and clean, all full of possibility.

Inspiration sometimes comes at times and places we least expect. Last fall, for example, I found myself inspired while watching an NFL game.

Do the right thing. Seek and ye shall find. There is no try, there is only do.