Is A Shadow Pandemic Brewing?
The COVID-19 pandemic has abruptly caused the largest and most rapid disruption to how and where we work since anyone can remember. From Wuhan to Wichita, from mom and pop shops to multi-national corporations, the working world has been rocked. Whether working remotely or carrying on in the workplace, the
Women On My Mind
This Sunday is Mother’s Day. At the time of this writing, Coronavirus accounts for 274,651 deaths globally. And this week, my honeybees are buzzing. The unexpected intersections of Mother’s Day, COVID-19, and honeybees bring together themes that move me to awe and prompt me to share five musings about women
What Prince Harry is NOT Stepping Back From…
This week started with a circus of tabloid coverage about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex deciding to “step back” from their roles as senior members of the royal family. The week ended with Prince Harry making it eminently clear that one thing he is not stepping back from is
Canine Companions and Mental Health
Canis lupus familiaris. Man’s best friend. We all know that is Fido (or for me, Nike). No other interspecies relationship compares to the one that exists between humans and dogs. And this week at the Gerontological Society Association (GSA) Meeting in Austin, I discovered that dogs are teaching us about
Find Your Seat at the Table for Suicide Prevention
Last Thursday, October 10 was World Mental Health Day. An international day for mental health education, awareness, and advocacy. This year’s focus was suicide prevention. We participated in various advocacy initiatives, including raising awareness that someone dies by suicide every 40 seconds. In addition to our advocacy efforts, this week, my
Burnout Explained
Hitting the send button each week is like serving in tennis. With great anticipation, I always wonder what will come back at me. Last Friday, I wrote about the recent adoption of the WHO International Classification of Diseases-11 (ICD-11) and provided a number of highlights about conditions that were added,
WHO Announces Adoption of New International Classification of Diseases
Imagine playing golf and not having words for birdie or bogey. Imagine preparing dinner without the guidance of cookbooks that describe what a soufflé is and what the ingredients for lasagna are. The ICD-11 is the organizing volume, the guidebook, that captures our current knowledge for all health conditions, including
Everything Is Illuminated
This is the title of Jonathan Safran Foer’s New York Times Bestseller about a young Jewish writer on a journey to Ukraine to find his grandfather’s hometown and the woman who saved his life during World War II. The story is filled with colorful characters who beg your forgiveness and
Ninety Years and Counting
This Monday, my dear friend, Jim Spool (AKA Grandpa Jimmy), will be ninety years old. Born on December 3, 1928, Grandpa Jimmy arrived on earth the same year that commercially available sliced bread was invented. Really. It was also in 1928 that scientist Alexander Fleming discovered a particular mold in
Knockin’ Your Noggin
It is football season in the United States. That means Friday night lights for families with high school kids, and weekends filled with games from the 5-year-old MightyMites to collegiate and professional rivalries that now don’t finish until late Monday evening. With growing awareness of head trauma in recent years,
Touch
Earlier this week, feeling sad and preoccupied by some recent events, I was making my way in a crowd of people to take my turn on an escalator that was inadequate for the demand. My head was elsewhere. My feet shuffled along. And then, out of nowhere, I felt a
The Downside to Fostering Resilience
Some individuals are exceptionally resilient. When life knocks them down, they bounce back quickly. They refuse to let failure or hurt or loss overwhelm them. Instead, they cope and adapt and forge on. They inspire us. But part of me is troubled that a Google search for the term “resilience”
