Heather Shtuka

  • The Art of Celebration

    The Art of Celebration

    You do not need a festival to celebrate; life itself is a festival; celebrate your life.” ~Nitin Namdeo Growing up, there wasn’t a lot of celebrations. Oh sure, there were the national holidays and one’s birthday, but never those defining moments that happen throughout life.  Award ceremonies, track and field events, dance recitals or…

  • New Year’s resolution or entrapment?

    New Year’s resolution or entrapment?

    For me, there had always been something magical about December 31st, where the possibilities of recreating and realigning yourself exist. You go to bed one person, and the next morning you could begin a new year as someone else. Every year I had a chance to finally get it right. All my life, I…

  • 7 Ways to Go Easy on Yourself While Grieving at the Holidays

    7 Ways to Go Easy on Yourself While Grieving at the Holidays

    Out of all the holidays, Christmas is the one I love the most.  It is the decorations in mid-November, the busyness of the stores as I typically put off my shopping until the last minute, and all the merry festivities that fill my heart with joy. But spending time with those I love most…

  • So I’m an author – now what??

    So I’m an author – now what??

        I think of great authors like Hemingway or Austen, and I can imagine them toiling away, putting thought, word and deed to paper.  I envision more modern and beloved authors of mine like Douglas Preston or Erin Morgenstern drafting copies of literary magic, sitting in airy sunlight rooms where the gentle crash…

  • MISSING FROM ME

    MISSING FROM ME

    Our life is not a movie. There aren’t 10 minutes left before it ends, and you just know that resolution has to be right around the corner. No musical tempo reaches its crescendo, alerting you to the knowledge that the director’s vision has come to a head. It feels like every day we wait. …