Some Things That Help Me When I Feel a Dark Cloud Over My Head — “There is peace even in the storm.” ~ Vincent Van Gogh Most recently, I’ve been waking up in a state of anxiety about the world. This became a daily reality when the pandemic first hit a little over two years ago and my hometown of New York City, two thousand…

The Meaning of Life is in This Moment “Joy is being willing for things to be as they are.” ~ Charlotte Joko Beck Every afternoon, at 3:15 p.m. Central Time, I have an appointment to meet my mom on Zoom. It’s 4:15 p.m. where she is, on the East Coast, and timed to happen after she’s gone to…

The Meaning of Life is in This Moment — “Joy is being willing for things to be as they are.” ~ Charlotte Joko Beck Every afternoon, at 3:15 p.m. Central Time, I have an appointment to meet my mom on Zoom. It’s 4:15 p.m. where she is, on the East Coast, and timed to happen after she’s gone to…

When “Sending Love and Light” Becomes Part of the Problem — “I am often struck by the dangerous narcissism fostered by spiritual rhetoric that pays so much attention to individual self-improvement and so little to the practice of love within the context of community.” ~ Bell Hooks I’m currently taking an online course about staying present while being politically engaged, given…

When “Sending Love and Light” Becomes Part of the Problem — “I am often struck by the dangerous narcissism fostered by spiritual rhetoric that pays so much attention to individual self-improvement and so little to the practice of love within the context of community.” ~ Bell Hooks I’m currently taking an online course about staying present while being politically engaged, given…

The Stress of 2021 Won’t Simply End with a Change of the Calendar “The best way out is always through.” ~ Robert Frost We were convinced that, when the calendar page was turned at the beginning of 2021, all of the despair of 2020 would disappear. Yet, this year, has been, yet, another rough year. And we aren’t done with this long and…

The Stress of 2021 Won’t Simply End with a Change of the Calendar “The best way out is always through.” ~ Robert Frost We were convinced that, when the calendar page was turned at the beginning of 2021, all of the despair of 2020 would disappear. Yet, this year, has been, yet, another rough year. And we aren’t done with this long and…

The Sad Truth About Health Care and the Elderly “Clear-eyed, hope gives us the courage to confront our circumstances and the capacity to surmount them.” ~ Jerome Groopman, M.D I’ve recently returned from Yonkers, New York, where I had an eye-opening experience with the healthcare system while my 92-year-old mom was in the hospital for an entire month. I…

The Sad Truth About Health Care and the Elderly “Clear-eyed, hope gives us the courage to confront our circumstances and the capacity to surmount them.” ~ Jerome Groopman, M.D I’ve recently returned from Yonkers, New York, where I had an eye-opening experience with the healthcare system while my 92-year-old mom was in the hospital for an entire month. I…