Recently I took my mother to see tap star Savion Glover at our local performing arts center. The hall was packed, mostly with children whose parents had brought them to see the legendary dancer. Predominant in the crowd were students from inner-city performing arts schools. During intermission my mother and I went to the concession stand, where candy was on…
It was with me at the beginning, almost before I was here myself. It will be there at the end, gently easing me closer to the secrets of the universe. It provides escape from daily stress. It makes all my problems disappear, at least for a little while. It helped me grow into what I am today. It is sleep.…
We tend to think of our internal organs as specialists, highly refined machines that work 24/7 at specific tasks. The one exception is the brain: the ultimate supercomputer that can make a multitude of decisions and manage our behavior with incredible speed and efficiency. Now research shows that the brain doesn’t have a monopoly on intelligence. The heart and stomach,…
We’re almost at the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but there’s an important aspect of the disease I’d like to discuss that many of us forget about: breast cancer in men. Granted, it’s about 100 times less common among men than women, but it does strike more than 2,000 men in the United States alone each year. I…
Looking for an activity that will challenge and engage your child in body and mind? Seek out a kids’ yoga class. Although yoga is typically considered an adult practice, kids love it for the same reasons that grownups do, such as relaxation and increased strength and flexibility. I myself didn’t discover yoga until college. It helped me through some challenging…
There is a real value to an optimistic “everything-is-fine” stance toward life. Studies have shown that pessimists seem to get sick more easily than optimists, experience higher rates of depression, and alienate those closest to them, while optimists—those who see the proverbial glass as half full—live longer than pessimists and are more mentally and physically resilient and productive. “While optimists-at-all-costs say everything…
Her Story By JMR I was 37 when I was diagnosed with severe renal failure. That same day, I also learned that I was pregnant with my first child. I had been trying to get pregnant for a few months, after convincing my husband and finally feeling ready. The timing was not perfect, though. I had just started a business,…
