It’s Elul. If I could have looked into the future a year ago and seen what the coming year would bring, would it have been a relief? A disappointment? It’s impossible to know how I would have felt then with my limited understanding, but one thing I know for sure is that I am not the same woman who went …
I wanted to get a really special wedding gift for my friend who is getting married soon but I couldn’t think of just the right thing. Nothing I thought of felt original or personal enough. Inspiration hit a couple of weeks ago: how about making her a book? Not strictly a cookbook, but more like a collection of advice and …
I recently read the most helpful advice in a book that my social worker friend recommended. (She always has the wisest and best advice, and this book did not disappoint). From Loving What Is, by Byron Katie: I can find only three kinds of business in the universe: mine, yours, and G-d’s. (…Anything that’s out of my control, your control, …
I’m pretty minimalist when it comes to makeup (often it’s just this IT eyeliner), but skincare, I can do. I’m using a few products now that are working well for me so I thought I’d share. Comparison shopping for beauty products can be endless. (It’s helpful to remember that this is a multi-billion dollar industry that thrives on women’s feelings …
This is the journaling technique that I used most intuitively when I got into journaling months ago. A Springboard is a writing prompt to launch you into your writing session. It’s a sentence or two that you plunk on the top of the page without thinking too hard, and use as an entryway to your writing session. It may be …
This is a reader-submitted post. We so appreciate your contribution! This is a really helpful and thorough review. The last thing people want to discuss after Tisha B’Av is Tisha B’Av. It’s the day when we set aside the distractions of life and look tragedy in the eye. It’s a day of discomfort – all of the inuyim are …
Here’s a piece of advice I’ve heard from a few people, including the inimitable Lori Palatnik: When faced with a dilemma, or when life gets overwhelming and throws a lot at you at once, ask yourself: What would I tell a friend in this situation? And the voice in your head will shift to calming, bracing mode… Get some sleep. …
The Jewish calendar has a time of year for every kind of emotional experience, a time when we can fully live the part of ourselves that is most in tune with that spiritual koach. This rhythmic cycle of the calendar keeps all of us in balance, allowing us to live the whole spectrum of human experience. On a global …
A thought occurred to me over vacation (long car ride, many thoughts). 🙂 How do we maintain perspective and see our lives with a broad lens when it’s so natural to focus on the things we don’t have? Maybe we can learn this balance from tefillah. A complete formulation of tefillah includes shevach, hoda’ah, and bakasha — praise, thanks, and …
My friend and travel buddy is getting married in August, so last week we took advantage of our freedom and headed up to the Laurentians for two days. “Two?!” you ask, incredulously. “That long drive up the Thruway for only two days’ vacation?” To that I answer, “Absolutely! This place and I go way back. It was worth every …
