Exploring one of life's most valuable gifts
Any time of year is a perfect time of year to savor friendships, but the holiday season offers a wealth of opportunities to create memories together with friends. Recognizing that schedules can be challenging to coordinate as the holidays approach, this week we share a variety of ideas for honoring friendships this season. 1.... Continue Reading →
When Sara and I launched this blog in early 2021, pandemic-disrupted friendships and everyday connections fueled our desire to write about the importance of friendship. Nearly three years later, life has mostly returned to ‘normal.’ While normal enables us to gather in person and hop on airplanes to celebrate milestones, normal can also be very... Continue Reading →
Although reading is inherently a solitary activity, books can provide a strong foundation for conversation and connection with others. In one of LOF's earliest posts, I wrote about my own experience with a local book group. I also enjoyed facilitating a book group with a few other parents for my son and some of his... Continue Reading →
Can you consider a person you’ve never met to be a friend? I love to read memoirs, and I’ve encountered authors over the years who write in a way that makes me feel like I know them. At times, their words and experiences have resonated with me so deeply that I almost feel they could... Continue Reading →
What does a research study that began 85 years ago tell us about living a ‘good life?’ Apparently, quite a lot. The Harvard Study of Adult Development (HSAD or the Study), a longitudinal research study that began in 1938 and tracked more than 700 individuals for over eight decades, was structured with singular goal in... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
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 →
As a child in the 1970s, the anti-smoking advertising and public health messages in school and on TV made a lasting impression on me. I recall stories of classmates lecturing their parents on the dangers of smoking and even flushing cigarettes down the toilet. This was a decade before the health impact of second-hand smoke... Continue Reading →
I learned a few years ago not to ask a graduating senior about their post-high-school plans unless they first bring up the topic. One Thanksgiving, I innocently asked my niece if she had heard from any colleges yet, not realizing the stress that question triggered. My sister quickly set me straight, explaining how drawn out... Continue Reading →
Language of Friendship 