Newest Blog Entries RSS

  In this world of fast travel, bucket lists, health concerns, more doctor appointments and other me, me, me situations, have we forgotten to spread kindness to others along the way? When we perform an act of kindness, we often find we end up going where we might not expect. It makes us feel so good and raises our level of consciousness about how wonderful people can be. Also, it’s a fact that when someone is kind to you, you tend to pay it forward. It’s contagious in a healthy way. A woman Margaret knows, helped someone who was out...

 When you are worried about someone you care about, how do you finesse your worry so it doesn’t sound like you’re attacking them, which might end the conversation abruptly?   Unsolicited advice is usually not welcome.   To soften our concern, we resort to the tried and true “I” message: “I am concerned…” rather than go into “you,” which can seem attack mode. The words may seem touching when first heard, but it’s what comes next that matters most. Of course, so much depends on why concern is expressed and the type of relationship you have with the person you are...

For Jews all over the world, today at sundown begins a new year, a time to cleanse our psyches of negativity and start anew. As our mothers used to say, the past is past. We can’t go back. But we can go forward and go full speed ahead. Rosh Hashanah is a two-day holiday that kicks off the Jewish High Holy Days. It focuses on what’s important—spending time with family and friends and maybe going to temple or synagogue to pray. We are taught in Judaism that God judges us for the year and writes his judgment in the Book of...

Memory can be fleeting at this age. Some details are reinforced with each telling while others fade, maybe lost forever. Yet, we dig into our memory pool to mark milestones— happy and sad--a big birthday or anniversary, the loss of a loved one, a book published, a tennis or golf match won, a marathon or triathlon finished, a dragon boat race furiously paddled to commemorate survival. A good race time may make such events more memorable. Yet, over time, it’s so easy to forget what really happened as we retell stories to others or in our heads, how we felt,...

  Feeling lonely can emotionally be like going down a rabbit hole. And there’s a big price to pay physically, too, such as a higher risk of heart disease, neurological issues, premature death and even suicide. You can climb out, however, though it may not be easy or swift. Humans are social animals. We need our circles and our groups to help us get through the ups and downs of everyday life and some of the tougher periods, too. We both have our close friends and Greek Choruses of women who we turn to in times of need. They have...