Exploring one of life's most valuable gifts
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 →
I love music. All kinds of music. To the point that I am sometimes teased for how inconsistent my musical tastes are. I’m happy to listen to many genres, as they are meaningful in different ways. I’ll listen to the Oppenheimer soundtrack in the car with my older son, then arrive home to hear my... Continue Reading →
Growing up, I was an ardent baseball fan. My mom’s family were diehard Red Sox fans and my dad followed the Chicago Cubs. So, when it was time to trade in my Cubs bleacher seats for folding chairs at Little League games, I was ready. My younger son Will discovered a passion for playing baseball... 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 →
June has always been a month of celebrations in my family. My dad and two older sisters were born in June, my parents were married in June, and of course, there’s Father’s Day. Mixed in with an already busy month, my dad generally preferred if no fuss was made over him. In his mind, he... 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 →
By all accounts Monday, February 6th was shaping up to be a pretty good day. The temperature had warmed a bit over the weekend and most of the snow and ice had melted. By then, I was several months into a new routine, regularly commuting by train to Chicago for an interim university job. On... Continue Reading →
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 →
I am a cat person. I like dogs too, but it was a cat who kept me company during my years of teen angst in the 1980s, another cat who was my steadfast companion during my divorce when I only had my boys 50% of the time, and three small cats who turned my house... Continue Reading →
As we approach the mid-point of Women’s History Month 2023, LOF would like to celebrate the innumerable women-identifying writers, artists, activists and others who are telling our stories while making history. Stories can be shared in a variety of ways, through narrative, art or music, as well as through the many important organizations that help... Continue Reading →
Language of Friendship 