Happy Dancing Blog

As winter settles in, many of us find ourselves spending more time indoors. Shorter days and colder temperatures can make it harder to get outside, but that doesn’t mean we have to lose our connection to nature. In fact, even small doses of nature, brought indoors or found close to home offer meaningful benefits for our minds. Studies continue to show that interacting with nature, even in small ways, supports emotional resilience  throughout the winter months. Research shows

This interview with The Forager Chef is a preview of his keynote, "The Grocery Store Outside."

Jim Chamberlin gives a personal overview of homestead planning and resources.

Welcome to winter! It’s the middle of January, and we are in the Upper Midwest. Temperatures are hovering around freezing and most days we don’t see much sunshine. When we ask “What should we do?” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Probably not “go outside”!

It's the perfect moment to pause and reconsider our constant companionship with screens. Those endless notifications and quick scrolls can quietly steal away from the warmth of real conversations and shared laughs, leaving us feeling more scattered than serene. Intentionally setting aside our devices, creating digital distance, can help us rediscover the simple joy of being fully present.

The holiday season brings excitement, nostalgia, and stress. Stress fueled by shopping lists, clutter, and pressure to find “the perfect gift.” But many families are rediscovering what this time of year should be about. Instead of accumulating more stuff, people are prioritizing experiences, handmade gifts, sustainability, and meaningful togetherness.

When a favorite color has a dark side...

Prescribed burns, long practiced by indigenous cultures, are a means of reducing the risk of damage to natural resources by wildfire.

What disposable items that you use daily can you change to reusable items that are actually a better product and more responsibly acquired?

Fall is in the air, leaves have changed colors, days are shorter, and temperatures are dropping. All these environmental cues are a signal to birds (and even some humans!) to start preparing to head south. Despite the misconception that birds don’t like the cold, many birds can survive freezing temperatures, so it’s not necessarily the cold that drives them away. It’s our waning resources.