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As the holidays heat up, so does our stress. This time of year is not necessarily a Norman Rockwell portrait or even a Lifetime Movie moment. Both depict Thanksgiving as a time of symbiosis to revel and rejoice. In fact, it can trigger quite the opposite response.  Part of the stress overload may have less to do with food prep or whether it’s your turkey recipe for deep fat frying versus your cousin’s for brining.  We have found that too often the peace can be undermined by those pesky nosey questions. Then all Thanksgiving hell can break loose.  We have...

On Wednesday, it was World Kindness Day so we thought it would be apropos to write a blog about it. Extending a small kindness doesn’t cost a penny, take much time and, in fact, offers a huge payoff. It can elevate your mood. “Hey,” you think to yourself, “I did something nice for someone else and I feel pretty good about it.” Often, it simply means smiling, offering a compliment and performing a simple gesture.  We hear so much about divisiveness and hate today, about this group against that group. “Mostly we don’t want to harm each other,” said Danusha...

If we get lucky and then live long lives, that often means extra time to mend relationships before it’s too late, no matter how frayed. It’s also the time for many of us to start managing the care of our parents and that often means putting whatever issues you have with them on hold as we take over management of their lives. This may entail making housing arrangements if they cannot live independently without assistance. Most want to age in place which in elder care parlance means staying in their homes and hiring someone to care for them if affordable....

We are here to complain and are taking this directly to our readers. We’re referring to pet peeves, you know, those little things in life that get under our skin. They slip in and can join us any time of day. There is no warning and nothing dangerous about them. However, they are as annoying as an itch that can’t be scratched.   To wit, consider these.  -Listening to people get competitive about grief. Scenario: Three women having lunch who prattle on about losing their husbands. Conversation: My husband left me. Well mine died. Mine died in a flash. Mine died...

Amy E. Gerwitz At a time when many of her contemporaries are winding down, Amy E. Gewirtz, 62, felt that some of her most interesting, fulfilling days were still ahead. From the time she was a teen, she was drawn to theater. After receiving a law degree, Gewirtz practiced entertainment law. However, after her first daughter was born, she segued into law school administration, initially joining Cardozo Law School as a career counselor and admissions counselor for 10 years. Subsequently, she went to work at Pace Law School, where she started as a career counselor, and then created and directed...