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  J.B. walks into a party, sits down at a table of six others and starts to hold court, blathering on about himself, barely stopping to take a breath. He appropriates the conversation, brags and boasts, doesn’t ask questions of anyone else, waxes poetically about his political and other views because, as he lets everyone know, without saying so, he’s the most brilliant person in the room. Is J.B. a conversational narcissist?   Yes, according to Sandy Hotchkiss, PsyD, LCSW, a Clinical Social Worker and Psychoanalyst, and author of Why is it Always about You: The Seven Deadly Sins of...

Good Morning Readers, We have a strange but provocative question for you: Do you want to meet yourself? You can. Spend some time alone. That doesn’t preclude the importance of companionship. Many of us think we have to do things in pairs. Obviously, Noah felt this way. And, as we’ve written ad nauseum, it’s healthy to spend time around others. Sometimes two heads are better than one if, perhaps, you’re putting an Ikea purchase together, brainstorming a marketing idea, deciding on a purchase if you need a new outfit for a special event, redoing a kitchen and aren’t sure about...

We may switch political parties. We may change our taste in food, fashion and TV shows. But when it comes to whether you’re a camp person, “membership,” which is open to anyone, almost always falls into the category of a life-long affiliation or affection if you answered “yes.”  Though it begins in childhood, if you were given the option to go to a sleepaway camp or even a day camp that offered a couple of overnight experiences, being a camp person is something that typically sticks with you your entire life.   Going to overnight camp is a privilege and...

After almost 38 years of working together, along with a friendship bond that’s unwavering, we still preface any confidences we share with each other with, “You know not to tell anyone, don’t you?” “Yes, of course,” the other always replies.  Maybe, we’re superstitious; maybe we simply want to reiterate the importance of not spreading what we tell, or maybe we forget that we’ve said this a gazillion times and just want to be certain the confidence will be kept secret again.  In any case, we know we can share whatever, from the price we have sold our homes for to...

It’s the little things that often elicit the best feelings. They are small revelations that make us so happy. These we often find if we are looking where we might not expect. Then suddenly, pow, it’s a wow.  We suggest appreciating a gleeful burst when it happens. Capture it, hold on to it for as long as it lasts. The reason is that it can disappear as quickly as it came, much like a soap bubble or rainbow. Here today, gone tomorrow. Poof!  Here’s our list: Spending time with a new grandchild and seeing a first smile, or seeing an...