Has a doctor ever given you a prescription for laughter? No? Too bad, because laughter may very well be the most non-toxic, life-altering drug we can get! It doesn’t matter what’s ailing us, whether it be cancer, diabetes, cerebral palsy, high blood pressure, or arthritis—laughter can help all those conditions. Not to mention other ... Read more
Scrapbook Miracle
As most of us have learned, there are pros and cons to Facebook (FB). But then again, there are pros and cons to everything under the sun. There are even plusses and minuses to the sun itself. Sure, it gives us warmth, light and Vitamin D, but if we don’t make wise choices that ... Read more
Boom — There It Is!
Have you ever woken up and wondered how you got to be so old? I’m going to be 58 this year, and although some people say it’s the new 38, that doesn’t change the reality that I’m among the last of the Baby Boomer generation. Growing up in a middle class American family ... Read more
Red Carpet
There was no shortage of glitzy awards shows packed into the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014. They all included red carpet moments where the celebrities had to walk, be vulnerable to criticism, and judged in the court of public opinion. Whether we have to walk a red carpet like the celebs ... Read more
Cookie Monster!
This past holiday season I was knocked down by the flu TWICE…and I had a flu shot! So, how do I feel now? I feel like the flu shot was a useless pain in the arm! I also feel that getting the flu at the end of the year was a good omen I ... Read more
Congress Needs a Reboot
While I was born with cerebral palsy, which is considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), I feel blessed that I do not have a more tragic disability-like members of the United States Congress, who recently had trouble finding a way to keep the government running. When I was in the ... Read more
Breath Addiction
Face it: humans have addictive personalities. Our very first addiction is to breathing. I can just see myself at a 12-step meeting confessing: “My name is Geri, and I am a breath addict. I took my first breath at 8:34 a.m. on September 13, 1956, and I’ve been taking breaths ever since. I even ... Read more
The Cracks of Life – Geri Jewell
It was more than 20 years ago that Chet Cooper and actress Geri Jewell first met at her home in Southern California, when he went to interview her for this magazine. They reconnected recently at an assistive technology conference in San Diego, where she was the keynote speaker. Later, over dinner, she talked about ... Read more
A Good Act to Follow
In Part I of our interview with veteran actress Geri Jewell, she talked about launching her acting career, getting her start in stand-up comedy, and coming out as a lesbian. She also discussed her two books, which were published decades apart: The first, ghost written on her behalf, and the current one, I’m Walking ... Read more
Paper or Plastic
With the bans on single plasticbag use in some of California’s grocery stores, other states will also be following the trend, making it illegal, beginning January 2013, to pack your produce in plastic. Why such drastic measures on the use of plastic bags? It is all in the name of saving the environment, being ... Read more
Geri’s Survivor Guide
Because I was on a sitcom called The Facts of Life, and because I know the actress Lisa Whelchel, I have received tons of e-mails asking me if I am aware that Lisa will be on upcoming episodes of the CBS reality series, Survivor. Well, of course, I was aware of it, and I ... Read more
Last Minute 2013 Resolutions
If the world had ended in 2012 as scheduled, we’d all be off the hook from making New Year’s resolutions. But as I’m sure you’ve heard by now, the world kept on turning, and here we are in 2013. If you’re like me, you rang in the year with at least one resolution, possibly ... Read more
Spring Into Action
It’s that time of year again, the vernal equinox, when night and day are nearly the same length. In Latin, ver means “spring” and equinox means “equal night.” And while there’s a fall equinox, only in spring does the sun cross the equator moving northward, on the up, you might say. This time of ... Read more
Next Exit, Joy
It’s so unfortunate that today’s society makes it difficult to take a breather. Our brains are multi-tasked to the max and simple things that give us joy are oftentimes overrun by our obsession with surviving. Our minds become a mangled maze of freeways and toll roads with no off ramps or rest areas. This ... Read more
