Monthly Archives: October 2010

Scared silly: why do we like haunted houses?

Perhaps, a few millennia from now, archaeologists from another world will study how we earthlings experience fear.  If they do, they will notice several incongruous things.  First, humans of the early 21st century swallowed a lot of expensive medication to … Continue reading

Posted in Anxiety | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Coping with jerks, five ways

Unless you live a solitary existence, there’s a decent chance you’ve had a run in with a jerk recently.  The perp may have even been a loved one.  Failing to show up for dinner, perhaps, or interrupting your heart-to-heart by … Continue reading

Posted in Anger. Resentment. Forgiveness., Craziness in the world, Relationships | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Grieving what has never been

Making peace with losing what we want to keep is hard.  We understand  impermanence in the abstract, but still, our hearts crave continuity.   The loss of a job, a relationship, or a loved one leads us to offer tender rituals … Continue reading

Posted in Depression, Grief, Mental health | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Five ways to show your brain a little love

There’s a great deal of mystery, still, about how everything we know about ourselves,  from how we find peace, to who we love, to what we like for breakfast, lives within the  circuitry of the brain.  Somewhere in there are … Continue reading

Posted in Mental health | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Three women and the powers that be

I have a great little story to share. Ingenuity sometimes wins.  My new camera was scheduled to arrive yesterday.   Online, I had tracked the progress of my package across the country: New Jersey, Memphis, Baton Rouge, local delivery truck.  Suddenly, … Continue reading

Posted in Relationships | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Fitting in while unique: what it means to be multicultural

We all need to belong somewhere in this world.  As humans, we need a place where we feel at home, and, as the theme song of Cheers used to put it, where everybody knows your name.  That can be confusing, … Continue reading

Posted in Relationships, Spirituality | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The roommate from hell: the cyberbully and the gay violinist

What genius matched those two as freshman roommates in the dorm at Rutgers University?  The community failed Tyler Clementi, a music major who played violin solos with the Ridgewood Symphony; three weeks into his journey into adulthood, the nation knows … Continue reading

Posted in Anger. Resentment. Forgiveness., Craziness in the world, Social media and life online | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments