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Barbara’s parents taught her well the importance of sharing, whether it was always setting another place at the table and adding water to the proverbial soup, donating to important charities and schools of their choice, and finding time to lend an ear to a friend or family member in need. And for Barbara’s late father, a physician, house calls were part of his mantra until he retired, and then even afterward. Barbara carried the lesson foreword once she married and had her own table to share. She also continued her mother’s baking as gifts, told her daughters it was up...

It takes just one person in the dark to turn on a light. This means that each of us has the power to make small changes in society if we can get outside ourselves, help others, step in their shoes, dig down, and pull up our empathy genes. However, this kind of sharing is being shoved aside more and more to make room for a new phenomenon in today’s “sharing economy,” focusing on self—me, me, me. It seems to be going viral in our new virtual world where we all get to be a critic, a maven, a news maker,...

It was similar to having several windows open simultaneously on a computer screen when in the course of a few months, a childhood friend called to tell me her husband was having major surgery, another long-time friend told me her spouse had a sudden fatal heart attack, and a former neighbor called crying to share that her husband walked out on her and was filing for divorce. How do you react when someone you are close to faces a crisis? Ignore it because you don’t want to feel that you’re being intrusive? Offer help? And what does help exactly mean?...

You’re tired of staying in overpriced, impersonal hotels and dislike sharing breakfast with strangers at inns and B&Bs. It’s time to consider being a renter of a house or condo you find on one of the increasing number of home sites available. It’s also a great way to gather family and be able to prepare all or some of your meals in a much more spacious setting. Here’s what I found as I booked places in Italy, Maryland, and the North Fork of Long Island. Check out all properties carefully and study to see if the one you like has the...

Friends might cringe at the thought of sharing their beds, towels, couches, and more, but I found quite by accident that it’s an excellent way to earn some extra cash. My secrets to success (most of the time) have been to vet the renter as well as I can, remove valuables I didn’t want shared or pilfered (such as silver and jewelry), leave some house rules via email or printed instructions, be kind, take a big deposit, and pray hard that the person doesn’t plan to stay, as one renter did according to news reports and caused a legal snafu....