April (Swinson) Smasal | Wit & Delight | Designing a Life Well-Lived https://witanddelight.com/author/aprilswinson/ A Lifestyle Blog Fri, 23 Jun 2023 14:15:45 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 This One Thing Is the Secret to Any Lasting Friendship https://witanddelight.com/2022/05/lasting-friendship-requires-work/ https://witanddelight.com/2022/05/lasting-friendship-requires-work/#comments Tue, 24 May 2022 11:00:00 +0000 https://witanddelight.com/?p=98396 There's an expectation that the bond we have with friends should be simple, no upkeep required. But, in reality, what's the secret to any lasting friendship? A little bit of work.

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]]> https://witanddelight.com/2022/05/lasting-friendship-requires-work/feed/ 1 Making Friends as an Adult Is Weird, but Does It Have to Be? https://witanddelight.com/2022/05/making-friends-as-an-adult/ https://witanddelight.com/2022/05/making-friends-as-an-adult/#comments Thu, 12 May 2022 11:00:00 +0000 https://witanddelight.com/?p=97967 Does making friends as an adult really have to be so weird? The answer is no. Well... mostly.

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]]> https://witanddelight.com/2022/05/making-friends-as-an-adult/feed/ 2 When We Experience Loss, Is Closure Really Possible? https://witanddelight.com/2021/06/when-we-experience-loss-is-closure-really-possible/ https://witanddelight.com/2021/06/when-we-experience-loss-is-closure-really-possible/#comments Tue, 22 Jun 2021 15:00:00 +0000 https://witanddelight.com/?p=90451 Through a personal story (and the expertise of a therapist) one writer seeks to answer this question: At the end of a relationship, the loss of a job, or the letting go of a life...is closure really possible?

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]]> https://witanddelight.com/2021/06/when-we-experience-loss-is-closure-really-possible/feed/ 12 A Skeptic Meditates for 10 Straight Days: Here’s What Happened https://witanddelight.com/2021/06/a-skeptic-meditates-for-10-straight-days-heres-what-happened/ Thu, 10 Jun 2021 15:00:00 +0000 https://witanddelight.com/?p=90090 This article dives into what happens when a meditation skeptic meditates for 10 days straight. Maybe, just maybe, it will inspire you to try it out for yourself too.

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]]> The Unasked-For Advice I’ve Learned to Love https://witanddelight.com/2021/02/the-unasked-for-advice-ive-learned-to-love/ https://witanddelight.com/2021/02/the-unasked-for-advice-ive-learned-to-love/#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2021 16:00:06 +0000 https://witanddelight.com/?p=87407 "She very kindly, but directly, suggested I master the fine art of only caring about problems that are mine—and, more importantly, to first be able to distinguish what belongs to me and what doesn’t. Which, I exaggerate not a single bit, was a notion that had never once occurred to me before."

Today April Smasal is sharing 5 pieces of unsolicited advice that have turned out to be very useful nuggets of wisdom indeed.

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]]> https://witanddelight.com/2021/02/the-unasked-for-advice-ive-learned-to-love/feed/ 16 The Breastfeeding Advice No One Gives You: It’s OK to Quit https://witanddelight.com/2020/05/the-breastfeeding-advice-no-one-gives-you-its-ok-to-quit/ https://witanddelight.com/2020/05/the-breastfeeding-advice-no-one-gives-you-its-ok-to-quit/#comments Thu, 07 May 2020 15:00:00 +0000 https://witanddelight.com/?p=55148 "The part I didn’t expect is that, as soon as I threw in the breathable cotton nursing bra, I wished I’d done it sooner. Not because it was hard (which it was), but because I no longer felt like a passenger in my own body. I halted feeling hostile toward myself for not being enough."

April Smasal is writing about her very personal struggles with breastfeeding, and the advice she wished she'd heard and followed earlier: It's ok to quit.

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]]> https://witanddelight.com/2020/05/the-breastfeeding-advice-no-one-gives-you-its-ok-to-quit/feed/ 20 You Don’t Know Me, but Thank You https://witanddelight.com/2019/11/you-dont-know-me-but-thank-you/ https://witanddelight.com/2019/11/you-dont-know-me-but-thank-you/#comments Sun, 17 Nov 2019 16:00:31 +0000 https://witanddelight.com/?p=48851 "I started keeping a little list that I’d carry around with me. On this list, I’d scribble down the people in my life whom, honestly, I don’t even really technically know, but they're people who have inspired me, shaped me, or just, when I think of them, make me think, 'Good gravy on a biscuit, I’m so grateful for you and that might be weird, but just hear me out.'" Today contributor April Smasal is sharing a story (or four stories, to be more specific) about gratitude—for the people who make a difference to her life in sometimes small, but always meaningful, ways.

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]]> https://witanddelight.com/2019/11/you-dont-know-me-but-thank-you/feed/ 4 On Raising Little Readers https://witanddelight.com/2019/07/on-raising-little-readers/ Fri, 12 Jul 2019 16:00:00 +0000 https://witanddelight.com/?p=43605 "Books were at once a sweet escape and a sanctuary, an education and a revolt—all things I want desperately for my son—a sticky, crusty, diaper-clad little dude—to grow to love, too." These are a few of the delightful words from contributor April Smasal in today's post on the blog, all about how we can help instill a love for reading in our little ones.

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]]> No, You’re Not Too Old for Slumber Parties https://witanddelight.com/2019/06/no-youre-not-too-old-for-slumber-parties/ https://witanddelight.com/2019/06/no-youre-not-too-old-for-slumber-parties/#comments Mon, 17 Jun 2019 15:00:11 +0000 https://witanddelight.com/?p=42155 Today contributor April Smasal is making a case for having sleepovers as adults—freezing time for a few hours and having an unencumbered opportunity to bond with friends, like we used to do when we were kids. And we happen to think she has an excellent point.

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]]> https://witanddelight.com/2019/06/no-youre-not-too-old-for-slumber-parties/feed/ 1 Your Guilty Pleasure Summer Playlist, Minus the Guilt https://witanddelight.com/2019/06/your-guilty-pleasure-summer-playlist-minus-the-guilt/ https://witanddelight.com/2019/06/your-guilty-pleasure-summer-playlist-minus-the-guilt/#comments Sat, 08 Jun 2019 15:00:13 +0000 https://witanddelight.com/?p=41672 Grab your headphones and prepare to dance, folks. Today contributor April Smasal is sharing a whole host of "guilty pleasure songs" that are perfect for listening to (loudly, and with abandon) in these summer months.

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]]> https://witanddelight.com/2019/06/your-guilty-pleasure-summer-playlist-minus-the-guilt/feed/ 2 Everything I Love Started with a Dog https://witanddelight.com/2019/05/everything-i-love-started-with-a-dog/ https://witanddelight.com/2019/05/everything-i-love-started-with-a-dog/#comments Tue, 14 May 2019 15:00:11 +0000 https://witanddelight.com/?p=39419 Before I get to the meaty bits of what I’m about to say, I’d like to offer a small appetizer. I’ve had what some may categorize a callous first run at life. I’ve also had the breed of woes many others would all too gladly clamor for at a Struggles Swap Meet, if that were […]

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]]> https://witanddelight.com/2019/05/everything-i-love-started-with-a-dog/feed/ 12 Biding My Time Til I Hit My Prime https://witanddelight.com/2019/03/biding-my-time-til-i-hit-my-prime/ https://witanddelight.com/2019/03/biding-my-time-til-i-hit-my-prime/#comments Sat, 16 Mar 2019 15:00:55 +0000 https://witanddelight.com/?p=35137 You know how sometimes you just know things—know them-know them? Things that aren’t accompanied with any sense or reason, but are truer than verifiable fact? Yes. So, the thing I know in my gut, brain and all my extremities is that I am meant to be old. Sure, my present life is quite wonderful and […]

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