I’m no etymologist, but thanks to the magic of the Internet I can pretend to be one. I have learned that in many languages—Old French, Latin, Italian, Spanish, Lithuanian, and even Sanskrit—the root of the word grace is linked to the word for thanks, or gratitude. And so to keep from getting lost in the business of Thanksgiving—the overcrowded supermarket…
Earlier this month I asked you to share what you were grateful for. Now that Thanksgiving is upon us, what better time to tell the people in your life that you’re grateful for them? I’ve found that when you show acts of gratitude, you find yourself smiling more often. I know I do. Then people smile back at me, which…
I recently attended Omega NYC’s “The Neuroscience of Well-Being, Mindfulness & Love” workshop at the New York Society for Ethical Culture. It was led by Jack Kornfield, Ph.D., and Dan Siegel, M.D.—two people I’d wanted to hear in person for years. Kornfield’s Seeking the Heart of Wisdom, which he wrote with Joseph Goldstein, was one of the first books about…
This past summer I decided to have a small dinner party. I planned on inviting six friends over, but as summer drew to a close I realized there were many other people I wanted to see. Before I knew it, my party had grown from six to thirty-five. In order to accommodate all the guests, I needed to rent some…
A few years back, my spouse and I started a walking regimen, regularly taking a nightly constitutional and catching up on the day. It was an easy way to get exercise and reconnect. We walked through the college campus near our home, trading stories about our days. During one of those walks my spouse recounted a phone call from that…
Last week I told you about my personal challenge to pause at the beginning of one meal each day in a moment of meditation or gratitude before eating. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I haven’t been very successful so far in achieving that goal. I thought it would be easy, but I’m having difficulty remembering to do it!…
I was raised by Italian-American parents. At our house, every Sunday dinner was a multi-course extravaganza. Family and neighbors and friends sat down to a table laden with pasta, meatballs, chicken, salad, vegetables…. Meals at our house were all about overabundance, just as in all the popular movies where the Italian mother puts food on the table and hollers, “Mangia!” I…
I met Steve some seven years ago when I hired his company to do some work in my home. There was an instant connection. We seemed to relate to life in the same way and at times would find ourselves deep in conversation about the true meaning of life. When you spend a lot of time at someone’s home, you…
We had a great response to our Mother’s Week in May—thank you! With Father’s Day approaching, I couldn’t help but reflect on all kinds of relationships. We’ll be featuring a variety of articles on that theme all month. When I think about relationships, my first instinct is to think about those I have with the people closest to me: my…
