I stumbled upon an interesting concept in a book recently. Social psychologist Roy Baumeister studies “anticipated aloneness” and the effects that envisioning being alone in the future has on people. Just imagining future rejection and loneliness actually knocks people’s IQ down a few points and makes it harder for them to engage in rational thought about anything. The problem …
A few days after my younger sister got engaged, my friend’s younger sister also got engaged. Similar situation, same age difference. And I had this moment when I went, Oh! I get to pay it forward already! Because over the weeks around the engagement, I had experienced just how amazing it feels to receive empathy from others who can put …
I’ve never attempted to write fiction, but I want to try my hand at it. Dystopian fiction, to be precise. I understand that stuff sells. And I would base it on the excellent material at my fingertips. My book is set in a world where all men and women are expected to marry at exactly the ages of 23 …
My younger sister is engaged. The one who was in elementary school when I was in seminary. I didn’t think this would really happen. When I sat down to write this post, I wasn’t sure which direction to take it in. To let you know how I’m doing? To share chizuk with anyone in the same situation? To philosophize …
You know what I want? To open a new business. The Focused Dating Center. Our motto is “Date without distraction.” Here are the features of this most wondrous place. (If you beat me to it, I won’t sue you. Also, if you work in an office building, maybe you can look around for some space that can moonlight as the …
When was the last time you mailed a handwritten thank you card? This summer, I read a book called A Simple Act of Gratitude: How Learning to Say Thank You Changed My Life, by John Kralik. At the beginning of 2008, the author’s life was in shambles; his law practice was on the fritz, he was going through a …
As we know, no tefillah is ever wasted. After davening for a number of years for a yeshua that hasn’t yet come (in an obvious manner), I wrote a list of ways my tefillos and tears might have been put to use: To keep me healthy To keep me safe from danger To protect my family and all the people …
Recently, we had a family bar mitzvah. As I sat there Friday night, it occurred to me that the topic of being single at a family simcha is one of those that periodically creates a stir in one publication or another. Why? Well, because many things about being single create unnecessary stirs, that’s why. In general, people tend to follow …
Open up an album or a box of family photos. Find old pictures of yourself (alone and/or with other people). A variety of photos. Not just the cutest ones. The ones that make your heart twinge when you look at them. The birthday party where I threw that tantrum. The hayride where everyone else is smiling and I’m glaring at …
Because friends are the best!
