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"Our goal should not be to 'outlive' as many people as possible. Instead, the goal should be to live a healthy and fulfilling life." — Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel For years we've been told that the secret to living longer lies in the next superfood, miracle supplement, complicated exercise program, or longevity hack. We count our steps, measure our sleep, worry about carbohydrates, and wonder whether we should be taking another vitamin. The whole thing can actually stress us out!

Last night was our community meal. We often sing Happy Birthday to people. Last night we sang happy birthday to ourselves as Americans. We also sang Take Me Home, Country Roads - fun even if we couldn't sing it very well and needed the words to the verses. We could belt it out when it came to the refrain. We all seem to get both teary and joyful about being taken home to some ideal place. Our little community meal is the best thing we have going to address where America n

"Each of you brings something unique and beautiful to our family, and together, we create a tapestry of connection, care, and unbreakable unity." (author unknown) This morning I was feeling puny. As I listened in to my thoughts, clearly they were not helping. Catastrophizing. It goes...this-thing-is-not good-and-this-not-good-thing-means-more-not-good-things-are-going-to-happen-even-worse-not-good-things. It took a bit of effort to pull myself out of the downward spiral.

“Rather than scoffing at religion…scientists should be studying spiritual practices as a source of ideas and inspiration” — David DeSteno, author of How God Works: The Science Behind the Benefits of Religion For a long time, many people assumed science and religion lived in different neighborhoods—one dealing in facts, the other in faith. But psychologist David DeSteno, in his thoughtful work How God Works, suggests something surprising: science is discovering that many ancie

“What every human being can say yes to is flourishing.”—Martin Seligman “What makes life good?” It may be one of the oldest human questions, and perhaps one of the few we still might answer together. I think about this today after reading about the super elite folks from academia, finance, technology surrounding Jeffrey Epstein. People with billions of dollars, anxious, untethered people with no real understanding in practice of what makes a good, healthy, flourishing life.

The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function .— F. Scott Fitzgerald, author We are living in a time that tempts us toward simplification. I was thinking that last night as I watched some of the State of the Union address and read accounts and opinions this morning. Politics feels binary. Even the U.S. ice hockey teams and Olympians seem to be pushed into one camp or another.

“Yes, there is a human nature that transcends all culture… and it is precisely our power to choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances.” —Viktor Frankl I was telling some of my friends who are in their eighties and nineties about the idea that this year may be historic for breakthroughs in health and longevity. On the near horizon we could be living decades longer. They shook their heads, “No thanks". They are not very interested in living longer. They are feeli

“Vocation does not come from willfulness. It comes from listening.”— Parker J. Palmer For many years, my father did not like Santa. Nor December. Not even the Christmas season. He was a bit of a Grinch. But not because his heart was two sizes too small. It was something different. He loved Jesus with a steady, serious devotion. He was a minister. He believed Christmas mattered. And because it mattered so much, he felt protective of it. Anything that felt like a distraction

"It’s not our abilities that limit us — it’s the ceilings we agree to ." Dr. Ellen Langer (born March, 1947, researcher, author, Harvard professor) "The idea that the brain is fixed in adulthood is not only wrong - it is dangerous." Dr. Norman Doidge, The Brain That Changes Itself "Your brain is changing every moment - and you are the architect." Richard Davidson (neuroscientist, University of Wisconsin - Madison) This blog is different from my usual. I'm going to go on a ra

Those communities which included the greatest number of the most sympathetic members, would flourish best . – Charles Darwin "Ol farmr"...

"Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions." – Dalai Lama Last night John and I were trying to figure out why...

The good life is found in the small practice of universal virtues that align the body, mind, and spirit. After talking to several people...

The various religions are like different roads converging on the same point. What difference does it make if we follow different routes...

And so when we're doing things that light us up, we're being purposeful...Dr. Jordan Grumet On Sundays, I take six or so kids, including...

Instead of asking "what's the matter with you?" ask patients "what matters to you?" Dr. Sam Everington, Founding Social Prescribing...

"Roxburgh's goal was to develop students with good character and moral courage, young men that would be 'acceptable at a dance and...

There is what I would call the hero journey, the night sea journey, the hero quest, where the individual is going to bring forth in his...

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious . It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion...

"Adversity, in whatever form, can teach us valuable lessons and make us stronger if we have the courage to face it." Elizabeth Smart,...

"You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the...