“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,…
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…
The Beatles were right: the love partnership you build is more important than the person you pick
CNN reports on a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In the end, it’s all about your own assessment of the quality of the relationship’s dynamics. Harmeet Kaur writes (excerpt): What [researchers] found is that…
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…
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…
Always begin with a blessing for yourself
On Being presents a 2-minute Lovingkindness Meditation, courtesy of Sylvia Boorstein.
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.
Welcoming words for New Year’s 2020
Good Housekeeping highlights 50 motivational quotes about change as we head into our new year! They include: Rainer Maria Rilke: And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been. C.S. Lewis: You are never too…
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,…
3 simple coping tips: how to master your anxiety
The TED Radio Hour shares Olivia Remes’ simple coping strategies for combating anxiety. Remes’ research suggests you can lower your anxiety by using these tips: 1. Do It Badly [i.e., just jump right in; it’s okay]. 2. Forgive Yourself [i.e.,…
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…
If you’re working at being happy, you’re trying too hard
MarkManson.net peals away the layer on this secret: happiness is a side effect, “not something you obtain, but rather something you inhabit.” Mark Manson writes (excerpt): It’s the perpetual pursuit of fulfilling our ideal selves that grants us happiness, regardless…