I am a big fan of the minimalism movement. I am a long-time minimalist in many ways, though in most ways I am not nearly as minimalist as many others. I have always taken pride in being a smart consumer. Though I have more than a minimal amount of “stuff,”…
The Wall Street Journal published a really good piece explaining why being kind helps you, too. As the piece explains, “research links kindness to a wealth of physical and emotional benefits – and it’s an excellent coping skill for the COVID-19 era.” You may not be able to read the…
I recently stumbled across two posts I wrote in 2014 about parenting. I enjoyed reading those posts, which had been inspired by my eldest child’s graduation from college, and I am republishing some of that content today. Parents need to be leaders: it's leadership by example. Parents also need to…
I’ve shared parenting suggestions here a few times. Leo Babauta, who writes on his site Zen Habits, is one of my long-time, favorite, personal development writers. Last year, he posted about some of the life lessons he has taught his (now mostly adult) kids—lessons they shared back with him on…
About six weeks into sheltering-in-place, I hit a low. As someone who is able to work from home, I am well aware my low is far higher than those on unemployment, which makes me a bit reluctant to talk or write about my situation. But, as I learned many years…
In this horribly sad time of COVID, with so many families experiencing illness and the death of loved ones, by complete coincidence I just finished reading a book about death and dying. Many years ago, I read Complications by Atul Gawande. Gawande is a surgeon and his writing about his…
This past Friday, I “attended” a funeral. My dear friend’s mom passed away from COVID a couple of weeks ago. From many miles away, my friend coordinated the funeral her mother would have wanted, with a full Catholic Mass. Observing safe social distancing practices, a very small number of people…
Among the many e-mails, articles, blog posts, and other attempts at inspiration I have received during the COVID-19 crisis, two have stood out. One came to me from the Lodge at Woodloch, an outrageously wonderful, high-end spa resort where I’ve had the good fortune of being the guest speaker a…
I keep hearing, reading, and using the word crazy (as in, these crazy times). The word crazy feels right because almost nothing feels normal. Like many of the people who are fortunate to have a job that can be done remotely, I have been working at home for nearly two…
When I was a teen, I did not read a lot of books. I resented the reading requirements in high school and do not recall enjoying more than the handful of novels I read for pleasure. The reading load in college was overwhelming. I didn’t love most of it, but…
Happy New Year! As I have done for quite a few years, here are some of the many experiences I enjoyed this past year: places I visited, what I listened to, what I read, what I watched, and more. Reading For the last several years I had read fewer and…
This past summer, I began an intentional change in my media consumption. As a result, over the months since, I cut back on, or gave up completely, a bunch of activities. I stopped watching late night talk shows. I had been DVRing them, and then watching the opening monologues the…