Welcome to the X.

I’m thrilled to welcome Richard Eisenberg back to Chapter X.  In January 2022, Richard left his full-time role as Managing Editor behind to shift into a new life stage that he has coined “unretirement.” Today he joins me to reflect on his experiences over the…

I will admit it, I am a pretty competitive person. Not with others, but with myself and it’s not always pretty. Perhaps, it is not as much competitiveness as it is a tendency toward perfectionism. And I don’t say this with pride or bravado. Perfectionism…

As a baby boomer, Motown music is part of my heart. It makes me happy—and it makes me want to move. A recent mix of mine worked its way through Gladys Knight, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and Stevie Wonder, until it turned to…

After the Passover holiday recently passed, it made me think about the time in Seder (the telling of the story of Exodus) when the youngest member asks Four Questions of the Seder leader. The questions delve into the difference between the Passover week and the…

“Toughen up. Be a man. Don’t be so sensitive.” As a young boy, these are some of the messages you might have heard. Society tells us that men are supposed to be strong, successful and never show emotion.  It’s time to challenge the stigma that…

Sometimes I get caught up in a vortex of difficult thoughts. I don’t mean the worrying kind, but the type of questions that leave me anxious and concerned. I worry about what world my children and grandchildren are inheriting and how I might have a…

Throughout our entire lives, we are beholden and otherwise impeded by the demands of others. Our life after our careers is perhaps the first time where we control 100% of our time. Think about it: We’re controlled by our parents from birth. Next, we’re required…

I have to admit, being a “beginner” provokes feelings of inadequacy. I recall my first trumpet instruction book: whole tones, basic scales, Three Blind Mice….BORING! BORING! $#%#@^BORING! I remember beginning Spanish class. “Donde esta la biblioteca.” I don’t care where the library is…uughhhhh….DUMB! The first…