I pride myself on being on time. Back when my college-age kids were in preschool, that meant a lot of wrangling to get out the door. One day, we rushed in a ghastly 15 minutes late. I ran over to Teacher Sue and frantically explained that my son had insisted on tying his own shoes which took forever! She replied, “Isn’t that great?” 

That simple question stopped me in my tracks. Where does our success mindset even come from?

What's more disappointing -- getting a gift that you don't like or giving one that lands flat?

I know the feeling of missing the mark on a gift that I had thought would be absolutely perfect. About a month ago my friend, Stacy, told me that she had given her dad a book for him to record his memories and stories. Each page had a prompt to make it easy and fun. Her dad has been writing his whole life and had time on his hands.

Stacy's father never even opened the book.

It is a great gift. Just not for Stacy's father. Here's the thing -- it's about the experience.

When you think of childhood, what image pops into your head? For me, it’s a kid climbing a tree or a teen hanging out with friends. How about adulthood? Maybe a young professional or parent with a young family. Middle age would be someone in the sandwich generation. And then there’s the older person who, when drawn, would have a cane with a kerchief covering her hair. My father used to say, “Getting old beats the alternative.” Well sure. But we can do better than that!

When you hear family reunion, do you jump for joy or run for the hills? For lots of people, family gatherings are tedious or even stressful. With bland food and bad jokes, you may be wondering how you're going to make it. If this isn't your idea of a vacation, you're not alone. We go in thinking I can do this only to find that you're pulling your hair out. You can't control what others say or do. Here's what you can control: your attitude, reactions and actions. But it takes planning and practice.

Stu was relieved. At 88, he laid awake at night fretting that his childhood memories would disappear when he died. How would his grandchildren know the details of his emigration from China to San Francisco as a little boy. Who would describe his parents’ courage and fears and their resilience despite all the adversity they faced? If not for his parents’ resolve, he knows there’s no way he would have had such a successful life. The same goes for his children and grandchildren.

Just knowing we would be writing all of this down lifted a huge weight from his shoulders.

You might regret not asking your parents to record their stories, but would you ever regret asking them to do it? Put this way, the answer is kind of obvious.

Have you shied from this because you imagine they'll think you're focused on their mortality? Or are you assuming they would have mentioned it if it was something they wanted to do? Or maybe it's because your relationship is complicated. I totally get it.

But it doesn't have to be a touchy subject.

It was the basket. Five minutes before the start of services, my doorbell rang and there before me was a beautiful, bountiful basket. I was moved to tears.

A teacher of mine has been talking about the imperative to create a ‘culture of connection’. At first, I thought “I do that.” But, at the same time, it’s just so hard to avoid being consumed by negativity, even when I know it triggers my migraines. It was time to stop feeding my echo chamber and choose positive action in its place, in gestures big and mostly small.

Remember the scene in Keeping the Faith where Ben Stiller as Rabbi Jake and Ed Norton as Father Brian have an exchange about Jake’s rabbi hero-card collection? Seeing that, I thought “Ah! There are others out there like me!”

As the shabbaton weekend approached, I ‘d get more excited and anxious. You see, as an elementary school student at the hebrew day school I attended, I always felt like I was wearing a mask.

Dear Parents of the Class of 2020,

"I feel bad for the seniors." How many times have you said or heard that since March? But now that graduation season is here, that lament has turned to joy and trust me, we are all eager to celebrate! These graduates are shaping a collective experience they’ll never forget. And parents, through your posts and special messages to your children you are literally writing and preserving a piece of this story.

Familial gives clients a much needed break during this difficult and uncertain time. Like Classic Familial, Petite Familial crafts letters of a lifetime to be shared with family and friends. This new model was created to make Familial more accessible right now.

We’ve found a rhythm. But we still worry about our personal and collective well-being. Stress is unavoidable and it can show up in some pretty unflattering ways. But here’s the upside: our stress reveals what’s most important to us and, with a little effort, we can put it to good use. In last week’s NY Times, Kari Leibowitz and Alia Crum offered a simple technique to change how we react to our stress in order to improve our health and outlook.

Over the coming weeks, many of us will be forced to reimagine our spring holiday traditions. Whether holding a virtual Passover seder or having an Easter brunch for two, we need to take advantage of our current shelter-in-place lives to explore the real essence of these celebrations -- community, renewal, reflection.

Close your eyes and think about your holiday. Perhaps an image arises. What key aspect or feeling emerges? It may be possible to replicate that quality in a different way.