Heard the one about the Chinese farmer?

According to the Taoists, he had a horse that ran away. A neighbor said, "Oh, that's bad news,” and the farmer replied, "Good news, bad news, who can say?" The horse soon returned with another horse, which many labeled good news. The… Read full post »

“Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go.” –Herman Hesse

I recently interviewed a man who leads personal development programs with the help of a horse. Specifically, Brian Reid puts people who are stuck and struggling on top of his horse to… Read full post »

In the past year I’ve heard from two friends who were disappointed in me because I didn’t meet their expectations or show up in the ways they wanted me to. In one case the friendship was already fading and I took the opportunity to own up and disengage. The other friend’s… Read full post »

One year ago I left a full-time job to rejoin the ranks of the self-employed. While the job provided wonderfully steady pay and health insurance, it was in no way related to my vocation as a writer, teacher and creativity coach—things I’d been doing “on the side.” And so I too… Read full post »

I teach creativity workshops based on The Artist’s Way that are ostensibly about artistic pursuits but mostly about giving ourselves permission to love what we love and do what we love. A big chunk of the journey involves learning to value ourselves enough to believe that we deserve self-design… Read full post »

Oprah Winfrey and I celebrate our birthdays this week. She has zillions in the bank and can spend her big day anywhere on the planet with 200 of her favorite people in tow. I have, well, less money in the bank and will spend my birthday with my husband and friends… Read full post »

I’ve heard that nearly 90% of New Year’s resolutions are broken by February, and my acupuncturist says that spring is actually a more fruitful time to make significant life changes. But the start of a new year offers itself up like a landscape of fresh snow, unmarked by… Read full post »

The rush is on to buy gifts and goodies to celebrate the season of lights, American style. I’ve made a few purchases, including one gift that I can’t wait to give, but I’m also trying something new this year: if I can’t come up with a meaningful item… Read full post »

At its worst, this recession has left countless people homeless, jobless, hungry, angry and injured. At best, it’s led many Americans to cut up their credit cards and cut out unnecessary spending. Others are voluntarily simplifying their lives, reducing consumption, sharing resources with n… Read full post »

It was 7:05 a.m. on the day before Thanksgiving, 1997. I was anchoring a public radio newscast in Newark, New Jersey, as I’d done every weekday morning for months, when the music host left the studio to grab more CDs. Alone with the microphone and a million listeners,… Read full post »

Back when I was single, I created a few personal profiles for online dating sites. When asked to name my religion, I wrote "Kindness." While it sounded flirty at the time, it was and is what I truly believe in. Kindness touches the soul, or at least my soul, and connects… Read full post »

Three years ago today I was stopped at a red light near Harvard Square on a sunny afternoon when it hit me. A Chrysler minivan, to be precise. A traveling salesman from Cleveland, oblivious to the stopped cars in front of him, was talking on his cell phone as he plowed… Read full post »

I love children. I just never felt the desire to have any of my own. Well, maybe for a fleeting moment. There is, after all, a certain sweetness in thinking about creating another person with someone you love and seeing the two of you reflected in that little child. But I… Read full post »