Recently I had to fly out of town for a family visit. I had several connecting flights in one day and I ended up spending a lot of time in airports on layovers. I had just gotten off one of those small planes—you know, the ones that look like a minibus . . . with wings.

Ah, February—a whole month devoted to love. And just in case you don’t feel very loving, all the pink and red hearts, flowers and kisses are there to remind you at every turn. The umpteen Valentine’s Day ads can undermine our confidence and make us feel as though we aren’t measuring up to all those sweet nothings.

My New Year’s resolution for 2012 was to exercise—yes, I only made one resolution this year because I thought I had a better chance of keeping it if I focused on a single goal.