For me, if there is one word that incapsulates this past year, that word is grief. Not one of us has been spared the grief over someone we’ve lost, loved ones we’ve missed, parts of ourselves that have been shelved, or milestones we couldn’t share. Never in history has grief been so universal, and yet,… Read more »
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It’s almost trendy for people to say that they don’t make resolutions and rightfully so, as we’re overwhelmingly likely to abandon those resolutions by mid-February. Resolutions are external statements that we typically bring up at cocktail parties. Conversely, having resolve is taking a raw, honest look at a situation and saying, “I am going to… Read more »
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When my oldest son called to share the devastating news with us, my mind wandered to memories of Lakers games we’d taken him to in Bakersfield, L.A., and Charlotte. At the time, we were ‘Californians’ and a trip to the Staples Center was quality family weekend time. Kobe was always there. My youngest, a California… Read more »
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Dear Dr. Nita, I cannot shake the sadness of losing a cousin and dear friend who went out drinking and after an accident had complications and died at the hospital. We were very close and in my meetings, after the mention of it one time, I got no support for talking about it. I don’t… Read more »
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Watch and read our exclusive interview with Jon Kabat-Zinn. A lot of us are caught in the story of ourselves. And that story is often, as you’re saying, very, very negative. And, uh, we don’t have to fix that. All we need to do is acknowledge it, recognize it and then ask ourselves the question,… Read more »
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Watch and read our exclusive interview with Jon Kabat-Zinn. Another way to speak of it is ‘heartfullness.” – In all Asian languages the word for “mind” and the word for “heart” are the same words. So if you’re hearing mindfulness as some kind of clinical, thought-based thing, you’re way off base. This has to do… Read more »
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My brother now exists only in memory, form and features erased from the physical world. I can hear his staccato laugh, recall his smile and remember the tone and cadence of his voice, but I cannot touch him, squeeze his shoulders or even give him a friendly jab on the arm. I cannot ask him… Read more »
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This is the season of gift giving and receiving. And right about now I’m usually thinking about what to get, how much to spend, and how will I ever get it there on time. For a procrastinator who doesn’t like to shop, my season of gifts can be daunting. However, it is also a time… Read more »
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“Going through my things after we decided to get divorced was like going through someone’s Estate. It reminded me of how it felt when my grandmother passed away, only here I felt like I was the one who had died.” Rick told me this as we caught up over coffee a few weeks ago where,… Read more »
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One of the saddest things I have read in a long time was this gut-wrenching excerpt in the New York Times (2/23/10) about a Haitian earthquake survivor: “Don’t cut off my leg!” Fabienne Jean screamed repeatedly as she was carried through the gates of the General Hospital here after the earthquake. “I’m a dancer. My… Read more »
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