"It takes a long time to grow an old friend." -- John Leonard

Regular readers know I am longtime fan of the music of Stephen Sondheim, and his take on life, love, memories, and what we lose along the way. Two weeks ago I made an impulsive decision to break...

"Come to the edge, he said.
They said: We are afraid.
Come to the edge, he said.
They came.
He pushed them
And they flew..." -- Guillaume Apollinaire

In the same way that I write to better explain life's mysteries to myself, to find the...

We've been captured with the life of Steve Jobs since he died of pancreatic cancer on October 5th. The public response has been amazing, from long lines at Apple Stores to acknowledge his genius, to lavish media tributes, special issues of national magazines and television specials. Walter Isaacson, a distinguished...

It's September. As you return to life's classroom, prepare for the teacher's question: "How was your summer?" Don't ask!

What was once a time of sunsplashed revery, iced tea on a cool back patio, staring into the dusk of the day, and planning for the Labor Day picnic, has all...

On a recent trip to London I stole some time for myself at the end of a seminar -- a new plan of mine to begin slipping into another "pace" when I travel -- and took the sort of long walk that this city seems to always provoke in me....

When I was nine my mother lured me to a long-postponed dental appointment with the promise that if I were "good" she would buy me a new book. I was already a voracious reader and she knew that promise insured less squirming in the chair. Sure enough, post-filling I went...

On this spring morning I awakened to the sounds and smells of a new day, and then, by paying closer attention, to a season encouraging new life all around me. I am quite alone in my awareness. Now I really listen. For what the world brings to me.

As I...

"If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall."
-- Nadine Stair

Outside my house and I hope outside of yours, spring is happening, that season of rebirth, surprise and fat new buds that...

Few challenges in life seem more unrelenting and formidable than time... there never seems to be enough time to do what we believe we must do, and our experience of time often defeats more than delights. Our core beliefs about time bind and bond us; make us tired and often...

I have been a fan of the music and lyrics of Stephen Sondheim for more than 40 years. His sly, bittersweet sense of relationships, attachments, longing and the frightened heartbeats change inspires have captured me and millions of others. I've seen productions of "Company," "Sweeney Todd," "Follies," "A Little Night...

I delight in seeing people realize their dreams and accomplish the goals they set for themselves, whether it's paying off a stubborn debt, finishing their first 10K or finally having the courage to make a relationship better. The promise of a new year motivates many of us to create our...

The appearance of a larger-than-life hero, shaman, guru or healer to rescue us from our disorienting despair is a persistent theme in most faith traditions. Instead of discovering the inner spunk to repair and rebirth our intentions, we search the skies for a savior. I am convinced that filling the...

I write this on the last day of October, a full moon drenched Halloween, rich with the smells of autumn, with fallen leaves, restless as sparrows, rustling along the sidewalk. The world seems to be preparing us for winter, as we gather, rake and cart away the collections of another...

When I was seven I got slapped. Miss Devlin, my second grade teacher, "lost it" after I stopped paying attention one too many times. Her rebuke and a hard left hand made quite an impression. Now, "pay attention!" still evokes memories of that moment when she had my full attention.

One of the not-so-subtle lessons of late middle age is one that tends to stumble into recollections, often prompted by an overheard remark, a song title, a photograph. Michael Lesey in describing what photos bring us said, "The wonderful possibility is that the snapshot may be many things, and that...

Each year we leap into fall's frantic pace the day after the Labor Day holiday. It's as if we are all on some new hyper-drug, that "real work" is back, and summer's slower pace is over.

This year it's a bit more challenging to think of September the way wise...

It's August, a time of sultry midsummer mornings, heavy with a layer of dew that washes leaves and settles like smoke before sunrise. It's the glimpse of things to come after this record hot July, with a bass chorus of afternoon thunderstorms cannonading down the streets and dry valleys. Summer's...

In America we celebrate Independence Day on July Fourth to acknowledge the courage of a patriot nation to fight for personal freedoms and the right to form a new nation, free of the tyranny of another nation. Beyond the flags and the parades, flush in our collective pride, we pause...

How many times have you found an old pair of pants (the ones that still fit), and discovered a clump of lint that had accumulated in the pockets? Those small leftovers of life accumulate in forgotten corners, but their discovery reminds us that we have to always clean up, follow...

What a month! Volcanic ash spews from Iceland and shuts down air traffic in Europe and beyond, Goldman Sachs, perhaps the last Wall Street "icon" is charged by the SEC with fraud and deception on a grand scale, and the leadership of Poland perishes in a tragic airline crash.

Now...