Exploring one of life's most valuable gifts
Lung cancer is a group of diseases that can affect anyone with a set of lungs. Although people who smoke cigarettes are at high risk of developing lung cancer, smoking is not the only risk factor. In honor of World Lung Cancer Day this week, I'd like to share a few facts that I learned... Continue Reading →
A growing number of experts are emphasizing the importance of mattering, the sense that we are valued and that we add value to others’ lives. Jennifer Breheny Wallace writes in her book, Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose, that, “Mattering is what psychologists call a “meta-need” or “umbrella term” because... Continue Reading →
The first time my friend Wendy asked me to take a cigarette break with her, we were 17 years old. We had only known each other a few weeks, and she knew I was not a smoker. I looked at her and laughed, but she rolled her eyes and said, "You don't have to smoke.... Continue Reading →
Next month I have two major milestones: my 30th reunion with my MBA classmates from University of Chicago, and my 35th from Tufts University. Separated by two weeks and 900 miles, I’ll first join my Chicago Booth classmates at a dinner not far from home in downtown Chicago and then later fly to Boston to... Continue Reading →
If you were a teenager in the 1980s, chances are you were crushing on at least one of the members of the "Brat Pack," that intriguing group of actors that kept showing up in the hottest movies of that time: The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles and St. Elmo's Fire. Those movies are... Continue Reading →
We often think of support as something that happens in one direction, with the strong helping someone who is struggling. For someone who’s always seen themselves as the strong one, accepting support can be a challenge. Yet when two people in need help each other, both may experience a much-needed boost. I witnessed this dynamic... Continue Reading →
Five years ago, Sara and I started languageofriendship.com to explore the concept of friendship and to inspire others to put friendship at the center of their lives. Back in 2021, nearly a year into the Covid-19 pandemic, getting together with friends was taking a back seat to health and safety concerns for many people. Social... Continue Reading →
Massive snow drifts and frigid temperatures outside always signal to me that it's time to hunker down in a warm, comfy spot with a pile of reading material as my trusted companion. I've been reading like crazy this winter thanks to my winter hibernation tendencies, and I have a few fiction recommendations to share. The... Continue Reading →
February will mark five years since the first Language of Friendship blog post, when Sara and I decided to write about friendship and its impact on our lives. With this anniversary approaching, I find myself reflecting on how valuable and diverse my friendships are. We make our first friends early in life, before we can... Continue Reading →
January is a tough month in most of the U.S. Not only is it cold and dark when I start and end my commute each day, but the return to work or school after a holiday break is just hard. Over the years, I’ve relied on a few coping techniques, such as working out more... Continue Reading →
Language of Friendship 