No one man can, for any considerable time, wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which is the true one. – Nathaniel Hawthorne When I’m around someone who resonates with authenticity – it’s often because their words and actions match but that’s not my only observation. … More Apples & Authenticity
“Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.”-George Orwell, 1984, Chapter 2, Page 252 A former student – one who’s struggling right now – brought this quote (above) to my attention recently. I’d read “1984” many moons ago but that particular line? I didn’t recall it. The powerlessness that … More As We Sat Together
Do you know about this book? It’s a gem, an oldie from the children’s Wonder Book series, published in 1952. I’ve had a lifelong love of bunnies. Maybe you read this recent post – about bunnies and a favorite book of another sort. Two days after I shared that story, I fell down an oddly … More Dads, Daughters, Love
I lifted the axe high in the air and took a swing at the log. I swung again and again. With each new chunk of wood that went flying, I could feel the anger seep out of my pores. I would be a college sophomore in the fall and was working the summer, helping a … More Learning to dream
I have a friend who makes me believe in possibilities. I hadn’t thought of her in that way – ever – but after a three-hour catch up recently, I realized her friendship, our relationship (across 43 years, no less) is a like a tonic, and yet I’d never told her so. As I drove to … More Believe in Possibilities
When I was a teenager, I would go to a state park near my house to run on the trails to get ready for the cross country and track seasons. Other times I would hike in the woods to relax and clear my mind. I loved that the trees hung low, the brush was thick, … More Childhood feelings coming out of hiding
My brain is funny. To me, anyhow. Do you ever wake up with a thought that seems so off-the-wall that you can’t help but smile? A remnant from a dream? A phrase, a word, an image that lodges in your head, unwilling to escape when slumber ends and the waking begins? That happened to me … More “A” is for Ambivalence?
We’re experiencing a run of glorious spring weather in the Chicago area. Cool nights, brilliant blue-sky days, interspersed with much-needed rain to coax all things green into their splendor. It’s a beautiful time of year and I forget from one spring to the next how glorious it is. Whenever possible, we’re a “windows wide open” household. … More Blanket Bliss
In his recent Heart of the Matter podcast, Dr. Gerald Stein referenced the practice of Tikkun Olam, the name drawn from the Kabbalah to describe making a difference and healing the world. Part of a collective. A greater good. I have been unable to stop thinking about Tikkun Olam and found myself re-reading Dr. Rachel … More In Good Company
A number of years ago, my wife gave me a wave goodbye and left for work. I couldn’t help but feel the cold chill. Her goodbye felt as cold as a frigid nor’easter. I looked out the window to see her car lights pull away in the morning light and I half expected to see … More ‘Here I come to save the day’
The Heart of the Matter 