Welcome to the X.

I just returned from 19 days in Europe with a cold, depleted immune system, a bag of souvenirs for the grandchildren—and a few thoughts about the experience. Our flight from Newark to Frankfurt was fine and without problems. We had to clear passport control in…

After a lifetime of problem-solving, I’m learning to give my brain a rest. Instead of measuring, analyzing, examining, probing, and scrutinizing, I’m trying to shift my awareness to my body. The other day, while walking, I caught myself mid-inquiry and decided to shut down the…

I was listening to music the other day, as I often do. While I admittedly am not the biggest Springsteen fan, there are many of his songs that I really love. (Please don’t tell anyone that I just said that. I wouldn’t want to be…

I have been enjoying the brain candy supplied by the Stoics. Here are a few of the one’s I’ve found particularly meaningful: “Think of the life you have lived until now as over and, as a dead man, see what’s left as a bonus and…

Recently, I learned that I have a serious caffeine addiction. It’s not that I drink a huge amount of coffee, and actually, I can’t touch it after 2 p.m. without it impacting my sleep. Due to the requirements of a medical test, I was unable…

I am blessed with three healthy granddaughters. Unfortunately, one of them, the youngest, is in Chicago, and FaceTime has to suffice until we are together for vacations and holidays. She is an exuberant handful of energy and is completely taken with the movie Frozen. She…

Sometimes I get stuck when I’m trying to develop an idea to write about or a problem I’m trying to solve. As a brain jogger, I put keywords on a page, hoping to pull out ideas from the words. It’s kind of like a fill-in-the-blank…

Now that I’ve reached this stage of life, I see the ongoing war with my tendencies. If that’s confusing, allow me to clarify.  Our tendencies are our default patterns of behavior, thoughts, and feelings that seem to follow us throughout our lives. On one side…