“Sunglasses and a great pair of heels can turn most outfits around.”

Yes, sunglasses are one of the best accessories to add a touch of glamour to anything you wear, but they are also one of the most important ways to protect your eyes from harmful UV rays—oh, and to give you a break when you don’t want to put makeup on!

This year, oversized sunglasses are one of the biggest trends, giving you even more sun protection. The ‘70s influence is also seen in the renewed interest in wraps and shields that are almost goggle-like in shape. Other trends include colorful lenses (especially warm tones such as amber), square and triangular lenses and white frames. The classic cat-eye and aviator shapes are still popular.

Would you be surprised to learn that one of the most popular college courses in America teaches students how to be happy? Probably not.

Most adults discover that you can be crazy rich, drive the biggest Tesla, take a luxury vacation that costs $4,500 a night—breakfast not included—but if inside you’re feeling miserable and depressed and unhappy, what good is it?

Welcome to Professor Laurie Santos’ wildly popular course at Yale University called “Psychology and the Good Life.” I haven’t taken it yet, but as a dedicated student of Positive Psychology, I’ve studied the research for years, including a recent overview of Santos’ work by Adam Sternbergh called “How To Be Happy.” The article was published last summer in New York Magazine, now available online at The Cut, and is well worth reading.

A look at drinking and driving/boating through a millennial lens:
What we have to say, and more importantly, what some of us are doing about it.

I always say “I love you” to my parents before getting in the car. It’s silly at my age, but there’s a reason for my caution. Driving is dangerous, and my young-adult life has been plagued by people I know becoming victims of driving/boating accidents. More specifically, drinking and driving/boating accidents. Whether you knew the victims, or only recognized their names from headlines, the accidents were shocking. They alarmed residents of the area and appalled me, a person who’s always assumed people my age (20-somethings) are indestructible. They show the dark side of a presumably safe state, the underbelly of a Lowcountry paradise. And they add to the statistic putting South Carolina towards the top of the list as the most dangerous driving state—the reason I make sure to say “I love you” before pulling out of my driveway.

Want to be healthy? Move more and sit less. It’s as simple as that.

Sitting more has been linked by new evidence to higher risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and all-cause mortality, according to the second edition of the “Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans,” published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for 2018. All physical activity, especially moderate-to-vigorous activity, can help offset these risks.

Janice Magnin and her three-year-old daughter Emma had just come home hungry and tired from a high school football game. Dinner would be late, so Janice offered Emma a cashew from the bag of nuts in her hand. In less than the time it took to walk across the room, Emma became violently ill.  

Tests revealed Emma had allergies to both tree nuts and peanuts. Doctors cautioned Janice that, as bad as this reaction had been, the next one could be much worse, since Emma’s body was now in full defense mode. For this reason, it was imperative that Emma’s diet—and environment—remain strictly nut-free. Over the next few years, Emma would be diagnosed with additional allergies to latex, carrots and celery, each time requiring a new layer of daily restrictions.

Monday, August 7, 2017, started out as just another ordinary day for Cooka Garrett Sells. She worked from home for a few hours and then took a break to run to the dollar store. Her cell phone began to ring in her purse. The news was every mother’s worst nightmare. Her son had been found unresponsive in his home. Twenty-three-year-old Frank Richardson Sells III was pronounced dead at the scene. How could this be? Cooka had just spoken on the phone with him the night before, and everything seemed fine.

Have you ever woken up and felt like your limbs aren’t responding to what your brain is asking them to do? How about taken a long road trip, and when you go to get out of the car, you’re not sure if you can actually make contact with the pavement without toppling over?

Short, tight and stiff. These are all conditions your muscles want to avoid, but they need your help. Muscles, like many other systems in the body, retain memory. That memory is what propels the body into motion, recalls specific movements, and retains the muscles normal physiological shape. So, when you’re lying down, sitting, or standing for a period of time, your muscles want to stay in that position, which causes them to shorten and become tight. By stretching, you are activating the muscle memory and returning them to their normal designed state. Stretching will enable the joints to lubricate themselves, increase blood flow into muscle tissue, reduce muscle tension and improve range of motion. These are all necessary to improve balance, strength and physical stamina.

I was 13 years old when I was cast in my grammar school play as Eliza Doolittle of My Fair Lady fame. My Mother was always fond of telling the story of how I would sit up in the middle of the night, dead asleep, and recite my lines and sing my songs. It was particularly amusing since I didn’t practice—out loud—during my waking hours. The director of the play was often unhappy with me because my rehearsals had me stumbling through the dialogue, though sailing through the songs. I think the latter is what helped me hold onto the role and not be replaced by the understudy. At showtime, however, I nailed my lines and belted out those songs to standing ovations. I may have practiced in near silence but when it was time to perform, I “broke a leg.” 

Stash the heavy leather tote and lighten up your load with a brand-new bag. This summer, you don’t have to worry about cramming all your worldly possessions into a tiny purse. Bigger is better this season with airy bags that look like they’re bound for the beach. Here are the latest trends to look for now:

> The breezy straw bag. From round rattan bags to bamboo totes to raffia crossbody bags, the straw handbags are making their way from picnics and parks to bistros and bars. Designers are making hay with innovative designs of all sizes, dressed up with leather handles and metal hardware.

Summer’s here. Time to kick back, take a deep breath... and focus. Slowly inhale through your nose; hold it for a couple of seconds; then exhale, also through your nose. Then do it again.

Why? Because whatever your favorite summertime sport—running, swimming, biking or daydreaming on a sun-dappled porch—you’ll do it better and spark more joy if you develop this skill, which you already have but may not have the habit of using.

We asked Joanna Cherry (left), mom of three, wife and school teacher, to read and tell us her thoughts about Mothering with Courage:The Mindful Approach to Becoming a Mom Who Listens More, Worries Less, and Loves Deeply—parenting expert Bonnie Compton’s long-awaited new book release.

Joanna’s Review: 5 Stars

Mothering with Courage:The Mindful Approach to Becoming a Mom Who Listens More, Worries Less, and Loves Deeply by Bonnie Compton is not an easy beach read. You may enjoy reading it on the beach, but more than likely you will give this book a permanent parking space on your bedside table. This is a book you will refer to repeatedly, yet it isn’t a reference book. It’s much more thought provoking. This may not be a book you sit at once and read from cover to cover. Rather, you might choose to read one of the many valuable chapters such as, “Hopes, Wishes, and Dreams,” or “Children Are Our Teachers” and then take time for reflection.

Few things in life seem to conjure memories of our youth more than the infamous family road trip. Road trips have almost no socioeconomic boundaries, and for that brief period of time riding in the family truckster, crisscrossing America’s highways to visit Grandma or the Grand Canyon, all are equal: same rest stop bathroom breaks; same fast food and same universal “are we there yet” from the back seat.

Nobody wants their vacation memories to be the time the car broke down in the middle of nowhere and had to ride in a smelly tow truck and sleep in a one-star motel bed for half of the vacation waiting on repairs. For the most part, problems can be avoided with a bit of pre-road trip preventative maintenance.

1,200 miles + 2 Besties + a cabin nestled on top of Brush Mountain + the Horse Capital of the World + Keeneland 2019 Spring Meet + hundreds of thoroughbred horses running hell for leather + a few bets = 1 Amazing Road Trip

When you look back at some of the most iconic movies it is not surprising that many of them have a common theme... a road trip! Whether it’s skipping school on Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, summering with National Lampoon’s Vacation, hitting Myrtle Beach with the girls from Shag, or adventuring with the guys in Road Trip, each one leads to unexpected adventures, memories and a ton of laughs. So why not decide to create your own memories and live out loud with your very own road trip?

Monday, August 7, 2017, started out as just another ordinary day for Cooka Garrett Sells. She worked from home for a few hours and then took a break to run to the dollar store. Her cell phone began to ring in her purse. The news was every mother’s worst nightmare. Her son had been found unresponsive in his home. Twenty-three-year-old Frank Richardson Sells III was pronounced dead at the scene. How could this be? Cooka had just spoken on the phone with him the night before, and everything seemed fine.

Summer is upon us, the time when visitors from around the world see for themselves the beauty and vibrance of the Lowcountry, Hilton Head and the surrounding sea islands.

For the next few months, roads will become more crowded and lines a bit longer, but visitors, we are glad to have you here. After all, it wasn’t so long ago that most of us were visitors ourselves. Still, having lived here for a while, we locals would like to offer some advice on how to make your visit a safe and happy one. Not only will it ensure that you keep coming back for many years to come, but that it is just as beautiful as the last time you came.

The new captain jumped from the deck, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim and headed straight for a couple who were swimming between their anchored sportfish and the beach. “I think he thinks you’re drowning,” the husband said to his wife. They had been splashing each other, and she had screamed, but now they were just standing neck-deep on a sandbar. “We’re fine, what is he doing?” she asked, a little annoyed. “We’re fine!” the husband yelled, waving him off, but his captain kept swimming hard toward him. “Move!” he barked as he sprinted between the stunned owners. Directly behind them, not 10 feet away, their nine-year-old daughter was drowning. Safely above the surface in the arms of the captain, she burst into tears and screamed, “Daddy!”

There’s something special about the bond a man has with his chair. There is no set time for a man to acquire his chair, and his chair may vary throughout his life. Nonetheless, a man’s chair is a place where many important decisions are pondered and made, both personally and professionally. In history, we can look back to powerful moments put into action from a chair. From his bunker chair, Winston Churchill successfully pondered how to save the free world, and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fireside chats eased an entire nation, all from a chair. More iconically is the power kings convey from their thrones and the barking of orders from the director’s’ chair to create great movies. Sometimes the chair itself takes on a best supporting role and becomes a character of its own like Archie Bunker’s famous chair in “All in the Family,” or Martin Crane’s chair in “Frasier.”

Curiously, we wanted to see some of the chairs our local Beaufort County men are attached to, so we went looking for a few good men. We did a good job finding them, and not only did they have a favorite chair, but a lot of heart, as well!

Dear Carrie, My 17-year-old daughter has her first summer job with a reasonable salary.
To me, this is a great opportunity for her to start saving and realizing the power of
compound interest. What’s your advice on how to explain that to her? —A Reader

Dear Reader, I agree this is a great opportunity for your daughter to start saving—and the power of compound interest is one of the primary reasons as you suggest. A key factor in compounding is time, and at 17 your daughter has plenty of time to watch her savings grow. Plus, while interest rates have been very low for the past 10 years, they’re starting to rise and that can help even a beginning saver see some results.

Nautical women’s history, while perhaps an obscure thread, is enough to inspire any bold female heart. Who doesn’t feel a thrill thinking about adventure on the high seas, or the sunny freedom of the cruising life? Legendary lady sailors astonish us with their bravado.

In the 1500s “Irish Pirate Queen” Grace O’Malley commanded hundreds of men and a fleet of ships against the British Crown to protect the independence of her homeland. At a time when women were mostly confined to traditional roles, she is said to have commandeered a Turkish ship the day after giving birth. Popular history remembers her for political shrewdness, audacity and seafaring skill that surpassed the men of her clan.

The roots of the Gullah culture run deep, like those of the sprawling live oak in the center of the museum’s lawn at the intersection of Gumtree Road and Georgianna Drive. The first question visitors ask when standing there is always: “Is this the spot where the Little House was built?” says the Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island (GMHHI) founder and executive director Louise Cohen. And she had no plans for the answer to ever be “no.”

After envisioning a new purpose for her homestead, Louise established the museum as a non-profit organization with help from S.C.O.R.E. and other supporters and volunteers in 2004. Louise has been busy in her preservation efforts and programs ever since, and catching up with her is not an easy assignment. She had just returned to Hilton Head from presenting at a luncheon for 75 authors in the Colonial Ballroom at the landmark Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston on the day we met for this interview. Interest in the history of the Gullah/Geechee culture has been on the rise nationally. Following our interview, Louise was slated to present on Gullah culture at the Port Royal Foundation’s Maritime Center.

Healthy joints make for happy athletes. A bum knee, sore shoulder or painful wrist gets in the way of your best time—playing tennis, riding your bike, humiliating yourself at golf.

Research shows that more than 80 percent of all sports injuries involve joints. Ouch! The good news is that there’s a lot YOU can do, and Aleve cannot, to keep your joints strong and healthy all year long.

Here are seven points about joints that will save you time, money, aggravation and dependence on painkillers:

On March 3, 2008 prominent Hilton Head Island couple John and Elizabeth Calvert vanished without a trace. Were they murdered? Are they alive in a witness protection program? What about the supposed “suicide” of Dennis Gerwig, who was named
a person of interest after the Calvert’s disappearance? Gerwig was a trusted advisor to the Calverts.

On the tenth anniversary of John and Elizabeth’s disappearance, a book, Deceit, Disappearance and Death on Hilton Head Island by Charlie Ryan and Pamela Martin Ovens was released. It is a well written account of the events that occurred during that March more than ten years ago.  Though the authors were able to scour through more than 650 pages of additional information on the case, questions still remain: WHY did the Calverts disappear? WHERE are they? If they are dead, WHO killed them? WHAT is the truth?

What's the one accessory that can transform your face? Earrings! Did you know that large earrings make a nose look smaller? Or that silver hoops cool down a ruddy complexion? Or that a pair of gold button earrings warm up pale skin tones?

"There are few accessories that can have as much effect on the face as a pair of earrings," says health and beauty expert Deborah Chase, author of "Terms of Adornment: The Ultimate Guide to Accessories." "Round or square, plain or fancy, earrings bring light, color and movement to the face. They are the perfect finish to a look, adding balance, polish and personality." 

When Gene Martin and his family arrived on Hilton Head Island in 1969, there were only 2,000 permanent residents, Harbour Town was just being built, and Coligny Plaza was little more than a collection of stores supplying the basics. Yet, one store—a small Red and White Grocery—was their reason for coming. And while they couldn’t have known it then, it would set the stage for a 50-year family legacy.

In its early years, the store, now known as Piggly Wiggly, was half its current size and the only grocer serving the island. When its former owner retired, Gene jumped at the chance to buy it. Over time, he would expand the store, franchise the Piggly Wiggly name and survive the openings (and closings) of many competing groceries. Today, “The Pig” remains the longest continuously running grocery store on Hilton Head. But that’s only part of the story.

Sigmund Freud didn’t get everything right, but here’s one thing he said that has the ring of truth. “In our innermost soul,” the world’s most famous shrink tells us, “we are children and remain so for the rest of our lives.”

Some years earlier, Plato delivered this bit of wisdom: “What then is the right way of living? Life must be lived as play.”

This week—if you can tear yourself away from politicians on TV—I encourage you to locate your inner child and play, play, play. Play is the antidote to confusion, even at the constitutional level. Play lowers our stress and lightens our hearts. It awakens our bodies and renews our energy. From peekaboo to pillow fights to paper airplanes in the park, play brings pleasure, reduces pain and stimulates the brain’s production of endorphins, your body’s way of saying, “All is well.”

Family dynamics are a funny thing. Often times it is better to sit back and reflect upon your own life experiences and interactions to grow and learn.  Being an awesome mother-in-law is just that: Understanding what or where you come from can only embrace a better journey together for your own family, especially when a daughter-in-law is involved. Women are strong forces in the family dynamics, and for the most part, your own daughter-in-law will be calling the shots. Don’t get left out just because you are unwilling to understand this new woman in your life!

Looking back, perhaps you’ve had a wonderful relationship with your mother-in-law, or maybe not.  If you’ve struggled with that relationship and want a better one with your daughter-in-law, here are a few things she’d like you to know:

I have had the pleasure of knowing a lot of men, and I have been secretly using the data I’ve collected from them to determine information about their species. One of the key attributes the majority of men have in common is their collective answer to the question “What are you thinking?”

My studies show that a mind boggling 97 percent of men, when asked “What are you thinking?” will respond with the answer: “Nothing.”

If you’re dreaming of going to the beach for some afternoon down time, remember to take your fashion sense with you. But before the clothes come off and the beach party begins, here are a few tips to keep your cool and avoid having a beach style meltdown.

Do keep it natural.
Who really wants to wear a ton of makeup in hot weather? The smoky eye may be all the rage, but smudged “raccoon” eyes at the pool are not setting any style trends. Invest in some waterproof cosmetics if you feel like you need to, but otherwise, keep it natural and enjoy the freedom of a bare face.

My boyfriend and I pretend we have thick New Jersey accents when we go to art museums. It dissolves the pretension that sometimes comes with viewing art in a somewhat subdued and stuffy environment. It also entertains on-lookers, perhaps adding a little humor to their day, and who doesn’t need humor? One more thing it does, it keeps our relationship fresh and unpredictable. There are advantages to consistency, but a predictable relationship breeds boredom, and we don’t want that.

He texts me in the morning “Good morning, Honey,” and I text back, “Awww, tanks Fwankie, you are so schweet and muscular.” (His name is Robin.)  I’m more likely to get a fun conversation going that way than if I text back, “Good morning, sweetie.” Playfulness keeps relationships vital. It helps you have something to fall back on when times get rough.

Only those who have experienced it will ever know the immense strength it takes to face Lyme disease. Strength to withstand blow after blow from an unseen, unknown stealth pathogen that evades modern diagnostics and moves rapidly through the body attacking any system it chooses. Strength to bear being ignored, dismissed, disrespected, and outright laughed at by those who don’t believe your illness is real, including doctors. Strength to keep trusting your own judgment instead of giving in to outside suggestions that you’re “just depressed.” Strength to carry on with daily activities when all the joy has been sapped out of them by a disease famous for the fact that it doesn’t kill you; it just makes you want to die. Strength to persevere when you’ve been led into collapse by false diagnoses and misguided treatments that only made you worse; to find hope in the latest plan when all the previous ones have failed. Strength to dig deep and pull yourself up over and over, day after day, year-in and year-out with no end date because supposedly there isn’t a cure. Strength to keep believing in yourself when you’ve been on the floor for so long, to keep believing in life, to keep believing in happiness.

Only survivors can understand this.