Last weekend, we stocked up. I am pleased to report we are now the proud owners of one precious toilet paper pack from Costco. It felt like we won the lottery, since we were down to our last two rolls. We also visited the grocery store. Even though the...
The word “disaster” comes from the Latin negative prefix “dis” (without or away) and “astro” (planet or star). When this word was formed, misfortune was thought to occur because of the unfavorable position of the stars. While most of us have moved away from believing...
In one of my favorite writings distinguishing sympathy from empathy, Guy Azoulai writes that a sympathetic response to someone’s suffering is akin to seeing someone drowning in the ocean and jumping in the water to help. Both people quickly find themselves struggling in the dangerous...
The girls were playing at the park with a group of friends. They began to climb a tree. One of the older boys climbed past the rest of the children, scrambling up the tree. He quickly reached its highest branches.As the boy sat perched at...
I thanked the people in the aisle and middle seats as they stood to let me pass by to my window seat on the plane. As we settled in, the woman in the aisle seat explained that she hated to fly and was scared out...
When was the last time you crossed everything off your daily to-do list?We love the sense of completion that comes from owning the day, but so often we end up feeling like the day owned us.Part of the challenge is that some of us, like...
So often, bad moments stick with us like Velcro, and good moments slide away like eggs cooked in a nonstick pan. I recently read something I really liked. When Toni Morrison – the literary giant who died last year – was asked what it felt like to get...
“I had a hard day,” I said to my husband as I sat down on the couch after reading the girls a story and kissing them goodnight.My husband paused, then asked, “Want to talk about it?”“Nope, I don’t think I do,” I replied, pulling a...
In the wake of tragedy, I often find myself reflecting on the way seemingly trivial choices can have far-reaching effects. On an average day, we make about 35,000 choices – which street to take to work, which flight to book, which errand to squeeze into the lunch hour. Choice...
Mister Rogers once said there were three ways to ultimate success:The first way is to be kind.The second way is to be kind.The third way is to be kind.When working to help people move in the direction of change, the quiet strength of kindness and...