Do not underrate the value of optimism, especially during these dark and tenuous days. An optimist has been defined as one who believes things cannot get worse. I don’t like that definition, for being a short-termed pessimist but long-term optimist, that definition would render me a fool, and optimism foolish. And optimism is anything but […]

Love is all that really matters. That is something we are all surely feeling with our heightened concern for the well-being of loved ones. And that is what I told a high school student some time back in a memorable exchange, which began when she asked me an intriguing question out of the blue. The […]

If ever there was a time, now is the time to cherish. Cherish life and each other. Cherish children and pets. Cherish birds and soft breezes. Cherish blue skies and starry nights. Also cherish yourself and the miracle of you being at all. One of our greatest capabilities is to cherish, to treasure in the […]

There is a hero in each of us. Each of us is capable of real courage, strength, and nobility. Each of us can strive to do what everyone would like to do, but do not, due to lack of faith, commitment and perseverance. In our culture we hold athletes, actors, and the like in highest […]

Some things you just have to risk believing in. All the more so at perilous times such as these. You have to risk certain beliefs for the sake of the sanity and the security of your soul. One essential belief is that, no matter what you are going through, no matter what you are dealing […]

These days it is vital to stay focused on the present. What is before you today is what is real. Beware of the “what if” and “could be” scenarios which can buzz mosquito-like around your consciousness. If you should let one land on you, it could temporarily infect you with fear and anxiety. And these […]