Take Your Life Back
"The waiter was halfway through taking my family's order when his manager called him away."Where did the waiter go?" Sophia, our seven-year-old, asked. Daniel, our five-year old, looked at me and then answered, "I think he had to take a conference call." Even before hearing Daniel's analysis of the waiter's momentary inattention, I knew I had a problem: I work all the time." What follows is the st... posted on Nov 30 2012, 26,288 reads

Have You Seen the Wizard?
"I saw it when I stopped at a red light at the intersection of Lake City Way and 95th Street: an old, bearded man -- was he a wizard? -- staring down at the street from a sign on a telephone pole. I smiled. How weird. Before the light turned green, I took a picture. "Fun things out in the world for no apparent reason," I posted on Instagram. "Love those." An Instagramer named Ericka clued me in wi... posted on Nov 29 2012, 8,699 reads

You Are Not Your Body
We often define ourselves by things that are "outside" us: relationships, work, family - even our own bodies. But what would it mean to have your life dramatically altered and your body irrevocably damaged? Who would you be then? In this TEDx talk, walking paraplegic Janine Shepherd, explores the impact of loss on the human psyche and the universal quest to find meaning and fulfillment. It is only... posted on Nov 28 2012, 6,051 reads

The City That Ended Hunger
"To begin to conceive of the possibility of a culture of empowered citizens making democracy work for them, real-life stories help -- not models to adopt wholesale, but examples that capture key lessons. For me, the story of Brazil's fourth largest city, Belo Horizonte, is a rich trove of such lessons. Belo, a city of 2.5 million people, once had 11 percent of its population living in absolute pov... posted on Nov 27 2012, 74,304 reads

The Learning Curve of Gratitude
"Eight weeks ago, I was released from the hospital after suffering a pulmonary embolism. I had just finished a tour and a week after returning home, severe chest pain and terrible breathlessness landed me in the ER. A scan revealed blood clots in my lungs. Everyone told me how lucky I was. A pulmonary embolism can take your life in an instant. I was familiar enough with the medical term, but not f... posted on Nov 26 2012, 12,238 reads

See Good Intentions
"Recognizing the positive intentions in others, we feel safer, more supported, and happier. And when others feel that you get their good intentions, they feel seen, appreciated, and more inclined to treat you well. But it can be hard to recognize the goodwill in others. We're busy and distracted and stressed. Positive aims are often buried beneath negative behaviors. The brain's innate negativity ... posted on Nov 25 2012, 14,417 reads

Knitting Behind Bars
"The first warden Lynn Zwerling approached with her idea recoiled as if she might bite. The second wouldn't meet with her. The third claimed to love the idea, then fell out of touch. Outrageous, said the fourth. The fifth, Margaret Chippendale, at a minimum-security men's prison outside Baltimore, didn't have much hope for Ms. Zwerling's plan either. "She brought the program to me and told me: 'Yo... posted on Nov 24 2012, 10,119 reads

Remembering What We Have Forgotten
Discovering the writings of Peter Kingsley (In the Dark Places of Wisdom, Reality and now A Story Waiting to Pierce You) reminded me of what a mystery it is to be alive. One is always forgetting this, especially in this era of science's stupendous discoveries and the astonishing advance of techonology. It's as if we have the power to figure everything out. Does this confidence in our knowledge sta... posted on Nov 23 2012, 4,350 reads

20 Questions for Thanksgiving
"It can be challenging to create rich and meaningful family conversations about gratitude. I know I've felt disappointed when my "What do you feel thankful for?" questions are met with quick, predictable responses that bring the conversation to a close soon after it's begun. This Thanksgiving season, I'm taking a different approach by coming up with 20 gratitude questions to help enliven our shari... posted on Nov 22 2012, 102,713 reads

The Danger of a Single Story
Growing up in Nigeria, author Chimamanda Adichie only read stories about blue-eyed British children, playing in the snow and eating apples. She loved these stories, but she could not connect to these stories. Growing up in an English-speaking former colony, Adichie nevertheless embraces Nigerian history and tradition to write critically acclaimed diasporan literature. Watch her discuss her own you... posted on Nov 21 2012, 3,371 reads