Happy Birthday! It's the end of the world.

I am 53 today and I have 300K in the bank and it is the End of Time.  I am 53 and freshly separated from my husband of almost 20 years.  Married to each other's traumas on November 6, 1993, we are one year short of the Big Two O.  The life I had is over.  Actually, this is true for all of us, every day, but especially on this particular day.  Today, a new great friend Quique sends me a birthday gift of a phrase (he is a word artist):  ELEGANCE IS FREEDOM.  

Click to read more ...

An Oasis of Peace

Wahat al-Salam Neve ShalomWahat al-Salam in Arabic. Neve Shalom in Hebrew.   Oasis of Peace.  The name evokes both longing and sadness. Just an oasis?   In a human desert of outright wars and subtle destructions of the spirit, there is a place where people from opposing sides of what is arguably the most difficult conflict on earth choose to live in peace.

I wanted to visit this place because I am a very jaded psychologist--an optimist disappointed with the failure of ideals

Click to read more ...

Picking up the Other Dog's Poop

I have a dog. My dog poops.  So do the other dogs. People get mad at dogs because their owners leave the poop under their shoes.

I love my dog and want him to be accepted by the community. So, I help him out if I pick up the other dogs' poops, the ones just waiting to slide under your shoe. But I can't bring myself to do it...well, once I did, because I wanted to be able to brag on this site. Is that a worthy reason? 

What will it take for us to take responsibility for each other? Self interest? Wisdom? Empathy? Enough poop on our shoes?   (12/17/08)

Click to read more ...