Fear is the legacy of primitive human survival. Our brains are wired to fear first and we are wise to heed the still, quiet voice that tells us to be aware of our surroundings. As helpful as it is to be wary, a lifetime lived from the primitive place of fear is one that limits our development. There is a reason to be prudent, but as we mature fear can take a back seat to the joy of new discovery. New discovery can be uncomfortable. It disrupts the predictable plateau of ev

As officials continue to run from the Trump administration with their hair on fire, I’m wondering if this is what the President envisioned when he said he would drain the swamp? What was previously taking place behind closed doors in other administrations is now exposed for all to see. It’s exaggerated, making it impossible to ignore. Mr. Trump’s lack of sophistication, and his assumption that he can define truth from a bubble of narcissistic denial, has become transparent

As a “people watcher,” our First Lady fascinates me. What a study in unintended consequences! I’m not overly familiar with her history, but I can’t imagine that Melania thought that marrying her husband would put her in her present position. The twist of fate that transformed the deal she struck into the deal she lives is worn on her unexpressive face. She is dutifully living out the irony, but not too joyfully. A life of ease this isn’t. In interviews during the campaign

By now you know that I believe strange questions need to be answered, and I’m officially designated to voice the quandaries. For instance, “Why is bird poop two-toned?” This was researched and answered by one of my students and shared in a previous blog. Here is my next dilemma: “How do dental floss gadgets and Q-Tips end up in a parking lot?” I applaud anyone who is so manic about flossing their teeth that they choose to floss on the run in a parking lot. I don’t applaud

Being human isn’t easy if you hadn’t noticed! In her book “The Highly Sensitive Person,” Elaine Aron shares that 10% of the population consists of HSPs. They are the insurance policy for humanity since they are careful and would rather be safe than sorry. They aren’t skydiving, surfing, or dating on the internet. Medications affect them differently than the rest of us. They are considered shy, sometimes antisocial and are over-diagnosed with an array of pathological labels

I know that’s an unusual title for a blog, so bear with me! There are mysteries in life that flash through our minds and never rise to the level of needing an answer. They remain mysteries. One of my decades long mysteries is “Why is bird poop two-toned?” I’ve never been around a computer when the question came up, but the other day I thought of the question as I was preparing to teach a class. Immediately, one of my students was on Google and here’s the story: Birds don’t

This is the season of harvest, but it has a melancholy feel. The trees are tired of supporting their leafy crowns and need to go within and rest. I think we all feel that way after the well-lit months of Summer. Creatures in Nature prepare with urgency. I’ll make sure to share a little bit with the squirrels and birds. I’m amazed that a pile of leaves in a tree is warm enough to protect the little creatures. The tilt of the Earth creates seasons, so we are a bit further f

I think those little cars that people wear are called “Smart Cars.” I guess they’re great for gas mileage since they are basically a speed bump on a roller skate. Years ago I witnessed an accident between a Toyota Corolla and a Mercedes. Guess who came out on top!? The poor girl in the Toyota was unconscious and the woman in the Mercedes was untouched. I dread to think of the collision between a Smart Car and a Mercedes. Would look not so smart. There are plenty of smart

The first day of school in Kindergarten, I was amazed that there were that many kids in the world that were my age! Yes, I saw a few in the playground, but the sea of little heads bobbing around the classroom was news to me. There was a boy in overalls to my left who kept darting for the exit. He was patiently guided back to his seat several times. I think he knew that his soul was about to be indentured for the next umpteen years. I mused and didn’t quite get it. Soon I

“There is never a conflict with person or condition, but rather a false concept mentally entertained about person, thing, circumstance, or condition. Therefore, make the correction within yourself, rather than attempting to change anyone or anything in the without.” -Joel S. Goldsmith Infinite Way, Wisdoms Western thinking embraces the notion that being “right,” is winning. He/She who is right wins. He/She who is wrong loses. We all want to win…sometimes at great cost. In

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We humans are captivated by extremes. I was listening to the account of an accident in Delaware that claimed the lives of five of six members of a Teaneck family, the Trinidads. The mother wasn’t killed, but has in store the horror of dealing with the deaths of her husband and four daughters. This was on the news because it’s an extreme, and aside from eliciting tremendous compassion, it captivates attention. It seems that media exploit these extremes for profit motive at

People are divided into two groups: those who must see it to believe it, and those who believe it before they see it and create it. (Reread that!) All the amazing inventions in history came from the “great invisible” through someone’s belief in an invisible idea. Since we’re all not inventors on the grand scale, we can still live creatively by taking that principle and holding it as motivation. This could be the vision of relationships, of a professional life, of daily lif

The art of teaching is more than being a purveyor of information. Maybe the trend toward distance learning, although useful for some, overlooks the organic nature of human interaction as a valuable means of heart-driven education. In today’s classroom, engaging students is challenging. The immediacy of information transfer since the technology boom tends to make us impatient. There are no card catalogs to rifle through. There is no hunting the shelves of the library. Now

It’s hard to be your best self when others behave badly. In fact, we use disappointment in other people to excuse our own bad behavior. I call that being “reactive” rather than being “responsive.” If your house was on fire you would dial 9-1-1. You wouldn’t pour gasoline on the flames. We don’t seem to use the same approach when someone in our lives is behaving badly. Instead, we feel righteous indignation and create a protective boundary with anger. If we don’t do that

Ginger Bear, 1999 - 2018. #GingerBear #RosanneBostonian

Sometimes I wish I lived in a world where, “If it feels good, do it.” If you live in such a world, you’re either a member of another species, you’re very young, or you’re addicted to something that will lead you to an organization ending in -A. Balancing an immediately “feel good” life with one that works in the long run isn’t easy. There are a trillion little decisions that will shift the balance one way or another. Take my morning coffee. I could drink it black (ugh), or

Doesn’t it seem that the more we chase the things we want in Life, the more elusive they seem to be? In Buddhist lore, desire and greed are interchangeable concepts, both being seen as “poisons.” The notion of chasing something we desire is the equivalent of ingratitude for what “is,” and can hook us into an insatiable quest for more, more and (yes) more. Our culture worships those who make it big financially and materially. As we see with various famous and powerful people

What a curious title, considering that we humans use so much energy trying to avoid heartbreak and its miseries. Why should accepting heartbreak be a goal? When the heart breaks it’s a sign that we were open, we tried, we were fully present. When the heart breaks we rolled the dice and bet on Love. And when the heart breaks the Jury of Angels celebrates our faith, even though the desired outcome wasn’t reached. There’s a saying, “The heart breaks to open wider.” I’ll try

In his book “Man’s Search for Meaning,” Viktor Frankl documented his concentration camp incarceration during World War I. As a psychiatrist, he gave meaning to his terrible experience by observing his fellow inmates closely. What he discovered was those who made the conscious choice to give their lives meaning, survived at higher rates despite horrific conditions. Those for whom each day had no meaning slipped into despair and gave up. In the typical life, those with vibran