Comfort food such as mashed potatoes, gravy and meatloaf reminds me of goodness, a dependable meal of solid kindness. Similarly, a conversation can be packed with goodwill reminiscent of homemade apple pie your sweet grandmother likes to serve. Thoughtful conversation ultimately means taking a “heart to heart” exchange to heart! There’s no beauty greater than … Read more
Sometimes we wonder about insensitive behavior during a conversation. We ask ourselves “What Gives”, what cues are we misunderstanding? A more helpful question, instead, is to consider how to change a discussion’s tone and tenor to something more amiable. In a favorite morning meditation by ”happiness expert” Jonathan Lehmann[1], he offers affirmations to “make it … Read more
“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space there is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. – Viktor Frankl, Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, Holocaust survivor. As Viktor Frankl reminds us, there is space in the back and forth of a conversation. Often it’s difficult … Read more
In Mexico last week, we “hola”-ed everywhere and conversation flowed. With a friendly “Hola”, interacting with new people became easy. What is it about travelling that opens us to conversing with strangers? How might we incorporate a “traveler” mentality into our daily interactions? Oh, to be on vacation all the time! Yes, time was on … Read more
Hopefully disproportionately small in our lives, sorrow and tragedy are unfortunate parts of life. This means that, at some point, we’ll find ourselves in conversation with a friend, loved-one, co-worker or acquaintance facing a life challenge. Our natural instincts scream for us to fix whatever is broken. We want to find just the right phrase … Read more
So many demands…So many distractions…Too many options. We can feel overwhelmed with how to prioritize our time, including moments for conversation. Just the other day, I declined an invitation to stop in at my neighbor’s house: the car repair shop was waiting . What a miss! Even for a brief moment, saying “Hello” is the … Read more
Gifts can come from strange places. My husband recently suffered a second injury within ten months of tearing his Achilles tendon. Despite the pain, he doesn’t complain. He’s focused, instead, on recovering and living! His calm demeanor has helped me stop my own complaining and settle into a new temporary routine. Eliminating the incessant, fretful … Read more
It’s always been a struggle to maintain a clutter free desk. Even in college I had a Peanuts’ sign that read “A messy desk is a sign of an uncluttered mind”. Not true. A recent study, however, found that a messy desk might, in fact, indicate creativity and innovative thinking. Albert Einstein is quoted as … Read more
Imagine if every week we conversed about one question, exploring, contemplating, listening, sharing, pausing and, most of all, enjoying each other’s perspectives.The rewards of asking an intentional question every week would be huge.Sometimes we just want to ask questions so that we can understand what’s going on in a friend or loved one’s life! Ask … Read more
What we talk about with others defines the relationship: “The conversation is the relationship.”[1] Does this ring true for you? How we show up in our exchanges determines whether some sort of kinship develops or continues to grow. “Showing Up” means demonstrating a willingness to be honest, kind, and authentic with whomever you share your space. … Read more