”I had a doorbell moment this week,” Patricia told Tracy.
Both have sons serving in the same Marine unit in Iraq. Patricia is describing the fear that grabs her the moment her doorbell rings unexpectedly, thinking that the officer on the other side has come to tell her that her son is dead.
Tracy understands.

Hint One: [...]

Holidays are times of great loving and loneliness and we often don’t know who is experiencing which. For many it is a bit of both.
For us all this can be a prime time for kindness, sometimes by sharing what we have.
And kindness is often unspoken. “An eye can threaten like a loaded and leveled [...]

In a New Yorker cartoon, a bored-looking couple are sitting apart on a couch, facing a smiling therapist who says, “Any healthy relationship requires fundamental acting skills.” Clearly the Michelangelo Effect is not in play.
Couples who affirm and support each other’s best side also “sculpt” each other in beneficial ways. They become deeply committed and [...]

Got a business? Nervous about your future?  Anyone who says they don’t feel fearful sometimes in the face of this uncertain economy is in deep denial.
One symptom, research shows, is that it is literally harder to hear when we’re stressed. That’s a signal to savvy, caring business owners to listen sooner, deeper and longer.
Only then [...]

“The bottom-up world is to be the great theme of this century.” ~ Matt Ridley
Nobody can know everything, nor do everything well.
Yet you can know someone who does – or know somebody who knows somebody who does.
And that may be the secret to staying sought-after in this increasingly complex and connected world.
In fact, next to [...]

What makes a community abundant in this new new normal world? In this uncertain economy where budgets of local governments and non-profit budgets will continue to get slashed, it is especially heartening to read the mutual-reliance message inherent in this book.
How Communities Can Run Leaner and Better
Rather than rely solely on outsiders and related funding [...]

Partners – romantic and otherwise – tend to fight when one feels neglected or threatened. When Peter Bregman’s wife yelled from two rooms away, “at least pack the shampoo” she was feeling neglected.
Recognizing which underlying feeling is being evoked helps you know how to resolve the conflict. So discovered psychology professor Keith Sanford.
Which one is [...]

Even though we know we are more likely to savor life and attract more opportunities to collaborate when we click with others, we often get in our own way – especially when we are distracted or worse.  Here are five concrete ways to connect with others.
1. Face the world as you want to be treated
[...]

I met my high school boyfriend when I was upset and swung open my locker door so fast I banged him on the head as he was leaning into his locker. Not everyone can take such a first encounter in stride let alone retort with a grin, “If this is how you treat strangers how [...]

“Cesar Milan says that when a dog sniffs you she’s gathering information. My dog is preparing an extensive dossier on me,” wrote Paula Poundstone.
Humor is a way to get information about each other.
How we evoke and respond to it says so much about how comfortable we are with ourselves and how flexible, open and fun [...]