“Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply; expect little; give much; sing often; pray always. Fill your life with love. Scatter sunshine.” –Malcolm James McLeod, The Culture of Simplicity
Gifts over grief: a worthy obsession
On Being’s weekly newsletter The Pause includes Poetry Unbound host Pádraig Ó Tuama’s reflection on his counseling experience in his twenties. Pádraig Ó Tuama writes (excerpt): I told him how angry I’d been with him the first time I saw…
A forgiveness formula: powerfully perfect apologies
CNN Health helps us understand how to apologize. Jessica DuLong writes (excerpt): In her new book, “The Forgiveness Tour: How to Find the Perfect Apology,” Susan Shapiro explains that a full apology includes four essential elements: acknowledgment of the offense,…
“On the Pulse of Morning”: Maya Angelou’s reflection on her inaugural poem
The Atlantic has Brian Resnick/National Journal’s May 28, 2014 article on Maya Angelou’s reflection on her 1993 “On the Pulse of Morning”: “In my work, in everything I do, I mean to say that we human beings are more alike…
2021: what about health, happiness and peace in your life?
Good Housekeeping shares a few dozen ideas for starting off 2021 on the right foot. Here are two of Zee Krstic and Kate Rockwood’s “Achievable New Year’s Resolutions” (excerpt): Write to yourself. When your inner critic picks up her bullhorn,…
Big Ideas: New Resource for going to court without a lawyer
The Essence of Being in Court: Big Ideas for Going to Court and Representing Yourself is now available. If you are serious about winning in court, discover the proven strategies you need to know before entering a courtroom without your…
Make it up as you go: quarantine + talent + a good heart = sharing your love with the world
My sister sent me this link to the song: The Keep Going Song by The Bengsons. Perfect with that first cup of coffee to start your day!
One in five: U.S. adults who will experience mental illness in any given year
CNN honors World Mental Health Day (October 10) with simple tips for immediate action. Sam Romano writes (excerpt): Here are pro-active ways to stay mentally healthy: Try to get proper sleep Watch what you eat: Too much sugar and caffeine…
Freeing your loved ones: surviving, healing, thriving
On Being’s Omid Safi offers a reflection on “How to Reach Out to Someone Who Is Struggling.” He writes (excerpt): So if you are that saintly soul, if you want to reach out to someone who is struggling to stay…
Best practices: empathy skills for understanding human beings
CNN Health helps us with our empathy for others. Kristen Rogers writes (excerpt): When you’re talking with someone, try to imagine what her life is like for her. Read his body language and utilize reflective or active listening, of which…
Do our children hear our silence?
CNN reminds us that we teach our children by what we do and what we don’t do. And what do we say about race in America? Jennifer Harvey writes (excerpt): When we remain quiet, telling ourselves the unlikelihood of changing…
Michigan’s FAQs about Custody and Parenting Time During the COVID-19 Outbreak
Michigan has issued guidance for parents with custody and parenting time orders. Matters addressed include: Do I have to follow my parenting time order during the COVID-19 outbreak?What are some parenting time alternatives that can be used? What if I…
Red Flags: protecting clients against elder abuse
The American Bar Association discussed the warning signs for elder abuse in clients. Amanda Robert writes (excerpt): 1. The elder client is accompanied by someone who joins the conversation and talks more. . . . 2. The elder client seems…
Monitoring your child’s mental health
CNN Health pulls back the curtain on childhood mental health. The report emphasizes keeping the focus on whether behaviors “are excessive, cause distress, are consistent and unrelenting and lead to problems in key life areas,” and offers tips on how…
The Dos and Don’ts of Being
Camille Rainville’s poem “Be a Lady, They Said” popularized in the video narrated by Cynthia Nixon.
The science of helping preschool readers
CNN Health offers tips from The National Institute for Literacy on engaging early readers. Sandee LaMotte writes (excerpt): 1) Start from birth by talking to your child and responding to their attempts to “baby talk” 2) Sing the ABC song…
IRS publications on children of divorced or separated parents
The IRS has its “Tax Information for Non-Custodial Parents” posted online. The one-page resource addresses: Child support payments [not tax deductible by the payer] Claiming Your Child as a Dependent Child Tax Credit Earned Income Credit (EIC) Treasury Offset Program…
To be busy or to be productive, that is the question
The Harvard Business Review offers advice on practicing into being your “future self.” Peter Bregman writes (excerpt): If you want to be productive, the first question you need to ask yourself is: Who do I want to be? Another question…
On kids – Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation (2003)
Bob: The most terrifying day of your life is the day the first one is born. Charlotte: Nobody ever tells you that. Bob: Your life, as you know it… is gone, never to return. But they learn how to walk,…
A reversible poem, a thrivers-survivors poem: National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and “[t]he goals of DVAM are to raise awareness about the prevalence and cost of domestic violence, the need for prevention, and the services that are available in the community to victims and their…