Girlfriends
My mom attended the memorial service for her lifelong friend, Pat Munz, this week. She and Pat had known each other for over sixty years. They raised their kids together. They called each other when the Entenmann’s Day Old Store had a two-for-one sale. They coordinated car-pools and watched each
Adults Need Play, Too
Today marks the beginning of Labor Day Weekend in the United States and the end of summer (at least psychologically). This holiday is associated with backyard barbecues, back-to-school shopping, and horrible traffic. Its origins, however, date back to the Labor Movement in the late 19th century in response to dismal
Women’s Stories Carried Forward
January 1. Typically a time for New Year resolutions and fresh promises to self and others. This year – maybe because my family recently lost one of its matriarchs, and perhaps because we are lucky enough to be celebrating my mom’s 90th birthday this coming Sunday – I find myself
Aaron Tempkin (Tim) Beck, MD
Brilliant Thinker. Visionary Pioneer. Generous Mentor. Passionate Humanitarian. Tireless Scientist. These accolades are sometimes nothing more than hyperbole. In the case of Dr. Aaron (Tim) Beck, they don’t come close to capturing the extraordinary individual who died on Monday, 1 November 2021, at 100 years of age. 1. Brilliant Thinker.
Begin Again
Uncannily familiar and utterly new. Sitting down to write this week’s Five on Friday after a month of vacation, I am a beginner again. How fortunate indeed. For “In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.” 1. Shoshin. 初心. Derived from Zen Buddhism,
Roman Tritz
World War II bomber pilot Roman Tritz died earlier this year at the age of 97. He was the last known survivor of a U.S. government program that lobotomized combat veterans who suffered from treatment-resistant forms of mental illness, including profound depression, anxiety and psychosis. As we honor our veterans
With Our Young and With Our Old
The eight days of Passover begin next Wednesday evening. Depending on family traditions, the Seder can take hours and hours or be quite brief. But in all cases, it is essential to recount the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt as if we were experiencing it ourselves. As the story
Health and Aging & Mental Health
Most of us have a love-hate relationship with aging. We want to grow older, but we don’t want to grow old. The good news is that we are living longer. The bad news is that many individuals and families and societies are not ready for what this means. That is
Grazie, Gaby
This week I write from Bologna, one of the places that I call home. It is almost 40 years ago that I arrived as a university student. Gabriella Conti was in search of an English tutor for her young sons in exchange for room and board. It was a match
What’s On Our Mind: Dementia
This week, we launched a new series called “What’s On Our Mind” to provide a space where we can talk with experts from around the world about current mental health issues. Hosted on Facebook Live (you don’t need a Facebook account to view), our aim is to provide an informative
Dementia Reimagined
Dr. Tia Powell directs the Center for Bioethics for Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She is a national expert on dementia, and for full disclosure, she is a dear friend. So, it is with enormous joy that I share with you a conversation I had with
Grow Old with Me…
… the best is yet to be. A beautiful notion about the journey of increasing years. We are social creatures and relationships play a key role in protecting and promoting our mental health throughout our lives. So it is ironic that our advances in technology are creating a modern way
