Years ago, I quit my job in New York City and was in the process of moving out of my apartment for a new adventure in Boston when I decided to drop everything and fly out to Los Angeles for my dear friend Steph's wedding. I had no budget for this, so fortunately I found... Continue Reading →
Games Galore
My favorite two board games when I was a kid were Battleship and Clue. I’d play either one with anyone who was willing to join me. Both games encouraged not only logical reasoning skills, but they also involved imagination and conversation among players. As a parent, I taught my kids to play Battleship and Clue.... Continue Reading →
Barbie Fever
The idea of a movie about Barbie sounded totally ridiculous to me when I first heard about it. I couldn’t believe such a star-studded cast and talented director Greta Gerwig had been talked into participating in a Mattel-driven project about a doll that seemed so utterly out of touch with modern life and girlhood. Once... Continue Reading →
Summer Blues
Now that we're well into July, the heat is on and summer activities have kicked into high gear. At Language of Friendship, we've done our best to make the most of the warmer weather and get outdoors. Julia and I always look forward to this time of year and plan ahead for it. Because we... Continue Reading →
Poems About Friendship
Anytime is a great season to read poetry, but summer's slower pace seems to lend itself well to the more mindful contemplation of poetic works. Many of the great poets have found inspiration in friendship. We have collected a few of our favorite friendship-related poems to inspire your musings as you enjoy the season. What... Continue Reading →
All You Need is Love
Today is Global Beatles Day, which was established in 2009 to honor and celebrate the impact of one of the most transformational music groups of all time. Sometimes known as the Fab 4, this talented group of young men from England took the world by storm in the 1960s and their legacy continues to thrive.... Continue Reading →
Summer Reading
It's that time of year in New England when the daylight lasts until almost bedtime, and my local friends begin disappearing for weeks at a time to the beach. Although summer schedules mean we may not see each other in person as often as usual, one way we stay connected is through our reading. Someone... Continue Reading →
📊Survey Results: Friendship on the Job
The workplace is without a doubt an important source of meaningful social connection, and the friends we make at work have a clear positive impact on the way we view our jobs. In an informal survey conducted over the past few months by the Language of Friendship, a resounding 100% of our respondents said they... Continue Reading →
Celebrating Moms/Mother Figures
Mother’s Day is one of those holidays that elicits the range of emotions. Some people consider it a Hallmark holiday designed to pressure us into buying gifts, creating Instagram-worthy visuals and artificial moments. Others are reminded of painful losses, or relationships that never quite measured up to expectations. At the same time, those of us... Continue Reading →
Sharing Joy With Friends
Lately I’ve been experiencing an emotion I was introduced to early last year when I read about it in famed vulnerability researcher Brene Brown’s helpful book, Atlas of the Heart, which Julia and I both wrote about in separate posts. The emotion is called Freudenfreude, and it’s a mouthful, but really it’s just the feeling... Continue Reading →