The Art of Gift Giving

The world has certainly changed since March 19, 2020 when San Francisco closed her doors and we began to watch the world from a window. Suddenly, the city was quiet.  Too quiet—except the sirens throughout the day. Everybody began to work from home—none of us wanted to go out.  Except a brave group of people who put their needs aside to take care of us. These were the nurses and doctors, grocery store clerks and delivery companies, the firemen and police officers, gas stations and pharmacies. To thank all the sweet souls around the world who took the time to...

Take Time to Listen I was once the subject of an experiment where all I needed to do was talk about myself. The person giving the test was graduating from business school and needed to perfect the “art of listening” for his thesis.At first it seemed so simple. He asked thoughtful, meaningful questions and I answered. But within moments, I became aware of how it felt to have another human being really listening—no, hearing me. He was careful not to “interview me” or banter back and forth with conversations that highlighted himself in some way. He gave me the feeling...

Something we can all agree on. If you had to pack an emergency survival kit or chose a single word that transcends all cultures and languages, or if you just wanted to feel better—right now—then most people on this planet would agree that chocolate is the answer. Mayans called it the “food of the gods,” studies have shown that people who eat chocolate are more clever than most, but I like the fact that chocolate is actually good for you too. Fudge is considered an iconic holiday gift and it is easy to make your own. But, if you are running...

We are all on the same journey. A friend called me last week to confess that she was “in denial” about getting old.  She said she didn’t know when it happened and was surprised that did. After all, she told me, she didn’t feel any different than yesterday. I was taken completely by surprise because I never thought of her being any age at all—even though she must be at least 15 years older than me, but then I really don’t know because she never seems to age.   Agelessness.  What is that?  My mom had it too. I think it’s...