is a quote somewhere, perhaps it is a lyric to a song “look with your heart not with your eyes” – I love this and try whenever possible to include my heart as I go throughout the day, especially when meeting new people. Recently, my 94 year old grandmother was moved from hospital to a rehabilitation/care facility. I have been visiting her almost daily. She has dementia and has no short term memory –she doesn’t know I came yesterday but is grateful to see me today. We laugh easy together, play solitaire in partnership, high-five with both hands when she “wins" at the end; we play only as long as it is fun then I hold her hands, or she hold... posted on Sep 1 2019 (50,395 reads)

photo: Sean Butler, 16-year-old sophomore at Carmel (Calif) High School, mentors Judy Dudley on how to use her smart phone. Photo by Dennis Taylor CARMEL, CALIFORNIA- Seniors who feel like today’s technology has left them in the dust are hitching a ride with a philanthropic gaggle of students who, in their spare time, are helping older generations return to the fast lane with their iPods, iPads, smart phones and computers. A group of teenagers who never knew a world before computers launched Wired for Connections/Mentor Up, a club at Carmel High School in California, designed to help senior citizens understand the basics of modern-day devices and brid... posted on Oct 2 2014 (39,526 reads)

something off can trigger a downward negative spiral. But a recent study suggests that being kind to yourself can help you achieve your goals. Why do we procrastinate? Often because we fear failing at the task and dread all the negative self-evaluations that might result from that failure. Unconsciously, feeling okay about one’s self becomes more important than achieving the goal. But the procrastination, of course, triggers other negative feelings about ourselves—recriminations and ruminations for “failing” to take action. In 20 years of providing psychotherapy, I’ve witnessed so many times how paralysis in the face ... posted on Oct 9 2014 (60,443 reads)

Smith Listens, Strums a Bit, Then Helps Soldiers Write Their Song This story first appeared on the Christian Science Monitor. SongwritingWith:Soldiers provides a healthy emotional outlet. The songs help others facing similar challenges and build a bridge between military service and civilian life. By David Conrads BELTON, TEXAS — It’s a warm, clear morning just outside Temple, Texas. Darden Smith sits down after breakfast with his guitar and his laptop, as he often does, to write a song. In a career that spans nearly 30 years, the native Texan and longtime Austin, Texas, resident has written and co-written innumerable songs, recorded 14 albums, and performed ... posted on Aug 20 2014 (14,965 reads)

Keegan, Her Parents, and The Opposite of Loneliness Borne of forgiveness, a young author’s first and last book rings silently true BY ALICE PECK ON APRIL 8, 2014 Marina Keegan’s The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories got a lot of attention when it was published by Scribner. It has already received accolades from The New York Times, The New Republic, and other major publications, and it deserves all the buzz, shares, and likes it will get. This posthumous collection of essays and short stories is beautiful and brilliant, young but not childish—just like the author was. Every essay is a gem you want to pick up and put in your pocket, taking it out from... posted on Apr 6 2021 (60,302 reads)

born with millions of little lights shining in the dark And they show us the way One lights up Every time you feel love in your heart One dies when it moves away" -- Michael Passenger Like so many of us, I felt such sadness in hearing the news of Robin Williams' death. Although I'm aware that creative, bright, and humorous people are as susceptible as anyone (maybe even more susceptible) to depression, there's something about the uniqueness of Robin Williams' gifts that makes me wish he could have been spared emotional anguish. I'd also like to imagine that anyone who played such incredible characters as the therapist... posted on Nov 25 2014 (18,172 reads)

times of conflict and political or religious civil unrest, the power of the human spirit’s capacity for non-violent protest and kindness still shines through. Alberto Casillas, instantly became a national celebrity in Spain when he protected a group of youths who were protesting against the government’s austerity measures. The police were beating and attacking protestors who then ran into Casillas’s cafe for protection. When the police demanded he let them enter, he stood against them, with absolutely no weapons or way to defend himself and said, ”On my Life, you will not enter! It will be a massacre.” Ukrainian girl giving sandwiches to pro... posted on Sep 17 2014 (99,400 reads)

remain in prison for the rest of my life is the greatest honor you could give me: the story of Sister Megan Rice Where does moral courage come from - the energy and strength to challenge and transform much larger powers? A prison correspondence provides some answers. Credit:http://climateviewer.com. All rights reserved. The Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oakridge, Tennessee, is supposed to be impregnable. But on July 28th2012, an 84 year-old nun called Sister Megan Rice broke through a series of high-security fences surrounding the plant and reached a uranium storage bunker at the center of the complex. She was accompanied by Greg Boertje-Obed (57) and Michael Walli (63).... posted on Oct 1 2014 (34,357 reads)

kindness just an old-fashioned value celebrated in kindergarten and then soon forgotten as one grows older and more ambitious --- or is there more to it? As increasing numbers of people look to live a purpose-driven life, research is beginning to reveal the tremendous rewards that come with living kindly. What follows are some of the most compelling recent studies on the topic of kindness, and the ramifications they hold for ourselves and our world. 1: Kindness rewires our minds for greater health: “The biggest news is that we’re able to change something physical about people’s health by increasing their daily diet of positive emotion, and that helps us get... posted on Sep 23 2014 (143,318 reads)

on navigating the open sea of knowledge. For my part in the 2014 Future of Storytelling Summit, I had the pleasure of collaborating with animator Drew Christie — the talent behind that wonderful short film about Mark Twain and the myth of originality — on an animated essay that I wrote and narrated, exploring a subject close to my heart and mind: the question of how we can cultivate true wisdom in the age of information and why great storytellers matter more than ever in helping us make sense of an increasingly complex world. It comes as an organic extension of the seven most important life-learnings from the first seven years of Brain Pickings... posted on Nov 9 2014 (20,505 reads)

Frasz is a food entrepreneur. She wants to recycle food, taking the food that’s not consumed and putting it into the hands of those who cannot afford it. She wants companies to stop wasting so much food – at the grocery story and in restaurants. She wants us all to be aware of how much we’re throwing in the dustbin. Too idealistic? Frasz would argue otherwise. Hear her talk about her passion –FoodShift. How much waste is there currently in the US and how accurate are these figures? 40% of all the food produced in the US is wasted. This figure is from national experts on food waste – author, Jonathan Bloom wrote “American Wasteland: H... posted on Dec 3 2014 (19,146 reads)

humans are born selfish? Think again. Dacher Keltner reveals the compassionate side to human nature. Humans are selfish. It’s so easy to say. The same goes for so many assertions that follow. Greed is good. Altruism is an illusion. Cooperation is for suckers. Competition is natural, war inevitable. The bad in human nature is stronger than the good. These kinds of claims reflect age-old assumptions about emotion. For millennia, we have regarded the emotions as the fount of irrationality, baseness, and sin. The idea of the seven deadly sins takes our destructive passions for granted. Plato compared the human soul to a chariot: the intellect is the driver and the ... posted on Nov 5 2014 (22,955 reads)

is a tool that helps us read and respond to upsetting social situations. But how can you stop it from getting out of hand? Anger is in itself neither good nor bad—it’s what you do with it that matters. Anger is best viewed as a tool that helps us read and respond to upsetting social situations. Research overwhelmingly indicates that feeling angry increases optimism, creativity, effective performance—and research suggests that expressing anger can lead to more successful negotiations, in life or on the job. In fact, repressing anger can actually hurt you. Dr. Ernest Harburg and his team at the University of Michigan School of Public Health spent se... posted on Nov 23 2014 (28,918 reads)

not hard to bring a little more equality into each others' lives. Kerry Morrison interviews homeless veteran John Watkins in the Hollywood Hills. Hollywood was one of the first communities to join the 100,000 Homes Campaign. Watkins has been provided with housing. Photo by Rudy Salinas at Path. 1. 100,000 homes so far Teams of volunteers across the country hit the streets early in the morning to put a name and a face to the long-term homeless in their communities. The volunteers started canvassing at 4 a.m., combing the streets to gather names, photographs, and stories of the people sleeping there. They searched for the people at the highest risk of dyin... posted on Nov 20 2014 (19,544 reads)

knew that one day maps would become obsolete, unwanted, unloved, languishing under piles of telephone books, VCRs and reams of writing paper? To unfold a map is to unfold adventure. Listen carefully as you smooth out those well-worn creases and you will hear the snapping of sails over a perfect blue ocean. Close your eyes and you will feel the steady, increasing rhythm of a train leaving the station. Your map is your ticket. To sit before an unfolded map, tracing out uneven lines of untouched road, is to feel small and humble. This world is large, barely knowable, our time here already running out. I have loved maps since I was a little girl and my days were fil... posted on Nov 11 2014 (23,701 reads)

millions of people around the world any kind of travel remains an impossible dream. And not just travel for fun or relaxation, but the few kilometres from a village to a school or health clinic. For many the inability to travel is a matter of survival. A vast number of people across Africa live in isolated villages, hours from the nearest small town. Without transport, or any way to travel, they are cut off. Without any way to travel to them not only is it impossible to reach them in an emergency, but it is also impossible to make sure they receive the basic, preventive health care that will keep them will. Babies go unvaccinated, women do not sleep under bed nets, and mothers give ... posted on Nov 19 2014 (10,706 reads)

weeks ago, a few of us visited an elderly Gandhian couple in Baroda -- Arun Dada and Mira Ba. Now in their 80s, their entire life has been rooted in generosity. As students of Vinoba, they have never put a price tag on their labor. Their presence speaks to a life-long practice of equanimity, trust and compassion. And so do their stories. "Nine years ago, we were gifted this house," Arun Dada told us. The week they moved in, they discovered that their neighbor was a drunkard, prone to fits of violence. Just a couple days after their move, they noticed that their front-yard was filled with food items and alcohol. It turned out that the neighbor also ran a catering bus... posted on Nov 27 2014 (36,851 reads)

is a kindness that dwells deep down in things; it presides everywhere, often in the places we least expect. The world can be harsh and negative, but if we remain generous and patient, kindness inevitably reveals itself. Something deep in the human soul seems to depend on the presence of kindness; something instinctive in us expects it, and once we sense it we are able to trust and open ourselves. Here in Conamara, the mountains are terse and dark; left to themselves they would make for a brooding atmosphere. However, everywhere around and in between there are lakes. The surface of these lakes takes on the variations of the surrounding light to create subtle diffusions of color. Thus th... posted on Nov 28 2014 (48,876 reads)

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in those wondrous moments we realize there is more to life than we can possibly imagine. It is a whisper of feeling, almost intangible. Yet it is powerful. Suddenly you are in a different space. You feel almost weightless. The air is still, your breathing is slow, but what you are experiencing is clean and clear. You have been touched by a moment of pure grace One recent summer evening I was eating dinner with my sisters and mother. Music was playing—the aria “Song to the Moon” from Antonín Dvorak's Rusalka. I suddenly became aware of the incredible sweetness of the singer’s voice. My sister, Annalisa, who trained in opera, told us the se... posted on Dec 28 2014 (29,694 reads)