What Do You See?
A multitude of silent realities linger just under the surface of what we perceive as 'normal' human experiences. The intriguing phenomenon of seeing colors differently, brought into pop culture consciousness by "The Dress" internet debate in 2015, underpins how each person's individual perceptions differ dramatically. This mind-boggling reality has far-reaching implications that stretch beyond vir... posted on Dec 22 2023, 1,692 reads

The Bridge We Were Meant To Cross
"My brother and I were driving home together and became engrossed in a conversation. Because of this distraction, my brother took a wrong turn. Unfortunately, the wrong turn took us towards a bridge and we had no way to turn back. Grudgingly, my brother paid the bridge toll and drove on. He was clearly frustrated by the mistake and the needless waste of $4. We eventually reached an exit slip-way a... posted on Dec 21 2023, 3,689 reads

A Father, a Son, a Run, and Little Friend.
It was a bright Sunday morning in late September. Thomas Lake was waiting for his 11-year-old son at the finish line of a 5K race they both were running. Panic began to set in, as Lake knew his son could run the 5K in 30 minutes, and the clock was ticking towards 40 minutes. An hour earlier, father-and-son were driving when the 11-year-old noticed a fingernail-long neon green tree cricket on the h... posted on Dec 20 2023, 1,734 reads

10 Insights of 2023 from the Science of a Meaningful Life
Step into 2024 with fresh scientific insights on cultivating a meaningful life. The past year has brought forth intriguing studies on the power of compassion, kindness, gratitude, awe and intellectual humility. Merging cultural sensitivity into happiness measurement, academics have opened our perspective, challenging us to rethink our understanding of global happiness. Did you know your acts of ki... posted on Dec 19 2023, 4,608 reads

Life as a Cup of Tea
"'The key to tasting tea,' she said, 'is to never judge it. Some teas open in the beginning and fade quickly, some teas take 6 cups to open and last longer,'" writes Mina Lee, as she steeps in her first experience with a tea ceremony and the words of Chan teacher, Mudeng. Lee observes, "The way the leaves are picked, the water used, the ceramic used, the tea pourer, how they hold the lid to steam ... posted on Dec 18 2023, 1,508 reads

Jacques Lusseryn: I Loved in a Stream of Light
French author and political activist Jacques Lusseyran (1924-1971) was blinded at the age of 7. In 1941, at the age of 17, he became a leader in the French resistance against Nazi Germany's occupation of France. Eventually, he was sent to Buchenwald concentration camp because of his involvement in the resistance. He was one of 30 out of 2000 inmates in his group to survive. Later, he wrote about h... posted on Dec 17 2023, 2,073 reads

Jessica Gigot: Moon
"The full moon rises over the blackberry bramble along the ditch. It has been shining so bright these past few nights, aiming light into all the dark spaces, memories, regrets. ... I am inside with our two girls. We can't afford a full-time babysitter, so in the afternoons, my husband and I alternate, fusing into one person running the farm. During this particular day I have milked the sheep and m... posted on Dec 15 2023, 1,410 reads

The Living Sculpture Made by 90 Generations
While walking outside your home, or on a familiar street in your neighborhood, have you ever wondered who -- what kinds of people and life journeys -- walked those very same steps before you? The land has a way of connecting us across time, and a 3,000-year-old natural sculpture in Oxfordshire, England is a living embodiment of such interconnection. The Uffington White Horse is a football-field si... posted on Dec 14 2023, 1,634 reads

Hundreds of Strangers Send Gifts to Make Teens' Wishes Come True
"Excuse me while I break down," Cheri Guy's TikTok video began. Wiping away tears, the Las Vegas high school teacher shared a heart-tugging "Wishmas" list to which 950 students contributed wishes for simple items, such as a bag of chips "so I won't feel hungry," a gift card to help a parent with groceries, "slippers to protect me from the cold," and a physics book for an aspiring astrophysicist. M... posted on Dec 13 2023, 1,400 reads

Unlocking the Mysteries of Time
"We construct the experience of time in our minds, so it follows that we are able to change the elements we find troubling -- whether it's trying to stop the years racing past, or speeding up time when we're stuck in a queue, trying to live more in the present, or working out how long ago we last saw our old friends. Time can be a friend, but it can also be an enemy. The trick is to harness it, wh... posted on Dec 12 2023, 19,915 reads