"We all seem to be healthier and making more money than ever before. And thanks to technology the world is shrinking to a single community. Never before have we as citizens of the planet been so blessed with advantages. And most assuredly we in this country have a lot for which to be grateful. Yet time and time again polls indicate that the contentment and happiness level experienced most particularly by young American adults (Gen X'ers) is surprisingly low. Why? Life may be rich but it comes with uncertainties----"waiting for the other shoe to fall"----the failure, the bad times to begin. Stress: office stress, home stress. And such stress takes its toll on the quality of our lives and the time we have away from the grind.

The mission of "Better Living" stems from the fact that many of us should be enjoying the good life---but we don't seem to have the TIME. Our schedules can't suddenly shift gears from a race to a mosey. So, that being the case we have to learn to adapt a schedule to include those roses that everyone says we should stop and sniff: "Me" time interwoven amidst the crunch of calendar and clock. Stress-free time. Quality time. And while we all can't be Martha Stewart we can add some graciousness to the space that defines our own personal world.

Improving our quality of life as we enter a new fast-paced century is what our radio show and this web site are all about."

Fred Benton is Food and Lifestyle Editor of Spectator Magazine. He lives in Raleigh with his faithful hound, Harry.