Sunflower
A friend sent me a beautiful photo she had taken of a field of sunflowers. You could see in the photo how the flowers had turned their faces towards the sun. It was so unexpectedly moving and made them seem almost human.
Dimensions of Wellness
This is a helpful graphic that visually depicts wellness across eight dimensions: physical, emotional, social, existential, intellectual, environmental, vocational, and financial. In a class I took recently, we wrote about the one or two wedges of the pie that we are neglecting most right now and what we can do to nurture ourselves in those dimensions. I think this could …
A Nisayon of Waiting
A friend and I were learning a bit about tefillah, and she referred to shidduchim as “a nisayon of waiting.” The simplicity of these words resonated. I know that when Hashem seemingly withholds that which we need, He is giving us a reason to daven and have a closer relationship with Him.
Don’t Say No To You
I learned something beautiful from a client. One client in our support group mentioned that she was interested in a guy but felt insecure about pursuing him, so probably wouldn’t. Another chimed in, “One thing I’ve learned:
Wholehearted Inventory
I took the Wholehearted Inventory on Brené Brown’s website in November 2020 and again recently. It was amazing to compare the results, which I was unexpectedly able to do, since I still had the previous results in my email. I’ve gotten a lot calmer in three years. Most of the other measures bumped up, too. Sharing if you’re curious about …
A Man Is Not a Marionette
I’ve never been married, so take this or leave it, but I think you should take it 😉 . I’m writing about a trend I’ve seen in shalom bayis education that really bothers me.
Cozy Gifts
Chodesh tov! I’m getting rally FOMO (so happy for you if you were able to go). What an amazing event. I’m hoping to watch the livestream later. In the meantime, I wanted to share yet another list from my journal: cozy gift ideas. These call up snow days off from school…
Solitude
Two books I read earlier this year discussed loneliness versus solitude. According to Together, by Vivek Murthy, solitude is “peaceful aloneness” or intentional isolation that helps us connect with ourselves, and enhances our emotional well-being. Seeking solitude is actually a protective factor against loneliness. Mary Pipher writes that we can intentionally “alchemize” our loneliness into solitude by enjoying our own …
People-Watching
My favorite people to watch when I’m on an outing are couples in their 70’s, enjoying each other’s company.
Tips for Planning Outings
The brain loves routine, but it also loves novelty. I feel refreshed when I take myself on outings, and though most of my trips are to places in New York City, I have a few tips to share for anyone who would like to be more intentional about going places.