Blog

I’ve heard that nearly 90 percent of New Year’s resolutions are broken by February, and my acupuncturist says that spring is actually a more fruitful time to make significant life changes. But the start of a new year offers itself up like a landscape of fresh snow, unmarked by footprints and tire tracks, and begs the question: Can we make better use of the next 365 days? For several years I’ve participated in Burning Bowl ceremonies on New Year’s Eve.…

The rush is on to buy gifts and goodies to celebrate the season of lights, American style. I’ve made a few purchases, including one gift that I can’t wait to give, but I’m also trying something new this year: if I can’t come up with a meaningful item for someone, I’m giving them the gift of my presence. I’m offering lunch and movie and afternoon tea dates to people I love and inviting them to cash in when it suits…

At its worst, this recession has left countless people homeless, jobless, hungry, angry and injured. At best, it’s led many Americans to cut up their credit cards and cut out unnecessary spending. Others are voluntarily simplifying their lives, reducing consumption, sharing resources with neighbors, and finding new value in the so-called “simple” pleasures of a not-so-big life. I say “Amen” to that. I know a lot of people with very rich lives and small bank balances, and I know some…

I love children. I just never felt the desire to have any of my own. Well, maybe for a fleeting moment. There is, after all, a certain sweetness in thinking about creating another person with someone you love and seeing the two of you reflected in that child. But I didn’t marry until my mid-40s, and I know that I currently do not have the patience, selflessness, or energy that it takes to raise a child well. Case in point:…

Three years ago today I was stopped at a red light near Harvard Square on a sunny afternoon when it hit me. A Chrysler minivan, to be precise. A traveling salesman from Cleveland, oblivious to the stopped cars in front of him, was talking on his cell phone as he plowed right into my little Corolla. Today, I’m actually kind of grateful to him. The rear-end collision left me with whiplash, and a frozen shoulder that lasted for months. While…

Back when I was single, I created a few personal profiles for online dating sites. When asked to name my religion, I wrote "Kindness." It sounded kinda cute at the time, but it’s also what I truly believe in and try to practice. Kindness touches the soul, or at least my soul, and connects us all on such a primal level. Raised as a Christian, I knew all about the Golden Rule of doing unto others as we'd have them…

No, this post is not about Star Trek, although I admire the show and the committed fan base. It's about spaciousness, the thing I've been embracing these days. Spacious days, in fact, where I have very few things on the calendar and gorgeous swaths of unstructured, unscheduled time to enjoy. As I approach middle age (okay, chronologically I'm there at 48, but mentally I'm still thirty-something), I find that I need more time to...just...be. I didn't used to be this…

When my husband and I moved into this apartment, our backyard was a strip of dirt that lay between our stairs and the garage. Construction debris littered the dirt, and a discarded stove sat on top of it. I asked my landlady if much of this could be removed for a more aesthetically pleasing back entrance to our home, and she complied. Once the junk was gone, I saw that this dirt was also home to a beleaguered rose bush…