My friend Ari has a son, Zusha. Zusha had a meltdown when he didn’t get his way – normal behavior for a 4-year-old, right? This is their interaction: Ari: Zusha, what’s Life Lesson Number 1? Zusha (through angry tears): YOU’RE responsible for my happiness. Ari gives him “The Look.” Zusha: trying to hold back a... Learn More

A few weeks ago, I had the great privilege of being the officiant at the wedding of two friends. These two friends work in the same industry, lived in the same neighborhood, shopped in the same stores, had worked for the same boss at different points in time and had friends in common – but... Learn More

Last Sunday, I did a webinar on Boundaries – 56 people from 5 different countries. One woman asked how to address someone not keeping their word. In her case, the other person made a unilateral decision that adversely affected her, when she had no input into his change of mind. I’m sure you can relate.... Learn More

What’s so important about boundaries, anyway? Why is this even a subject of interest to me? It all boils down to – do I respect who I am? Do I respect who you are? My true respect for you directly correlates to my respect for myself. I remember growing up, it seemed to my immature... Learn More

Scene: Sitting behind a fence, baseball tournament for 10 year olds playing their hearts out. Meanwhile I’m running through a list of “behaviors” that will help the Chargers win – yelling encouragement, saying specific things, not saying anything, practicing being calm/cool/collected/trusting, muttering predictions that will hopefully happen, walking away in case I’m bringing bad juju... Learn More

Background: Growing up, profanity was considered punishable by quarantine. Included in all the normal profane words were: darn, damn, and “buns” (when referencing a person’s backside). My mother’s oft-heard litany, “Profanity is the effort of a feeble mind to express itself forcibly.” (Spencer Kimball quote I know by heart.) When traveling with my grandparents and... Learn More