If I could name one emotional well-being superpower, it would be mastery of  ‘letting it go’.  When others’ behavior or unchangeable circumstances  gnaw at us, we imprison ourselves.   By quickly accepting and releasing what we cannot control, we alleviate so much suffering and unlock human potential.  Learn to LET. IT. GO. PS: this is not...Read More

To travel means, ultimately, nothing more than coming back home a different person from the one who left.            Pico Iyer I grew up on a cul-de-sac (see above), defined as a blind alley closed at one end.  As a street design when I was a kid, it was glorious.  As...Read More

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” – Pablo Picasso (Spanish cubist painter, 1881-1973) A middle school teacher posed a simple question to his class: “Who can sing?” Not a single hand went up. “Who can draw?” Again, not a single hand.  His students  declared their lack...Read More

Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life. Dolly Parton I meet so many people throughout the year, many of whom are overwhelmed and stressed.  There are many things in the wider world that are beyond distressing and troubling, and we Americans are not great at using vacation time. ...Read More

“Change is painful, but nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong.” Mandy Hall, Master Chef One year ago, a beloved family member faced a pivotal moment in his life when a routine check-up with his physician revealed the early signs of fatty liver disease, a consequence of his fast food diet. ...Read More

It’s not how old you are, it’s how you are old.   Jules Renard Fluid Intelligence is raw intelligence- the ability to solve novel, abstract problems.  It increases through our 30s then begins a precipitous decline in our 40s.  This explains why younger people are more innovative and populate startups and new music genres. Most readers...Read More

  Well-being is realized by small steps but is truly no small thing. – Zeno Founder of Stoic Philosophy (334 BC-262 BC) I’ve been taking Robert Sapolsky’s biology course on YouTube on how stress impacts health.  Here is a fun fact to help us frame the holidays during a pandemic: Naked Mole Rats live in...Read More

….what else matters besides being kind to ourselves and kind to others? As we mourn the violent murder of George Floyd and so many other innocent people of color, amidst a pandemic that is hitting black and brown communities hardest, we descend into an economic depression. Rage naturally erupts from these wretched injustices and lack...Read More

Our Life is What our Thoughts Make It Marcus Aurelius, 121AD- 180AD   I recently began practicing stoicism—not to become an emotionless person, but to minimize negative emotions.  Its antifragile or toughness-training.  Even though the Stoics wrote their philosophy over 2,000 years ago–their wisdom is so relevant to our modern life.  Who among us does...Read More

One day you finally knew what you had to do… and began. -Mary Oliver The metaphor of a frog* dropped in boiling water will jump out, but if heated very gradually will be boiled to death, applies to our health too. The gradual degradation hardly gets noticed until one day, we are confronted with the...Read More