What’s the difference between hope and false expectations? How do we know when to hope for the best and when we’re deluding ourselves? In each case, we’re throwing ourselves open to faith, to things we can’t control or predict. Is there such a thing as healthy and unhealthy hope, and if so, where’s the line? On the one hand, I’ve often found the …
At Peace with the Puddle
Three weeks ago, my life fell apart. After yet one more wish that didn’t come true, it all came crashing down. Like Humpty Dumpty cracked wide open, I saw painfully clearly all the ways I’d been living that were keeping me unhappy: doubting myself, clutching to specific outcomes, and measuring my worth by achievement – society’s definition of success. There …
When Your Faith Goes Postal
Have you ever met an earth angel–a regular person in an everyday place who says something deeply profound at just the moment you need to hear it most? Yesterday, my local post office clerk was that angel. “Keep your fingers crossed for me, Roy,” I said, handing him my book in an envelope addressed to a screenplay reviewer in L.A. …
Selling Your Old Self
It all started with the bike rack. Now that I had a new car, I could no longer use my Yakima rack, which wasn’t compatible with my new hatch. As I dug it out of the back of my closet, I noticed all sorts of other outdoor gear I never use any more, as well …
The Light from Within the Tunnel
It’s 6 am, the morning I’m due to fly from Boston to Chicago for a cable TV interview. One thousand miles away, an FAA employee takes his own life by setting fire to Chicago Airport’s air traffic control tower. All flights in and out are cancelled. I get the last seat on a 25-hour overnight train. To my right, a petite woman …
The Waiting Game
In Spanish, the word “esperar” means both to wait and to hope. This is a good lesson. How many of us wait not with hope, but with impatience and doubt? Much of life requires waiting, and how we wait can make all the difference to our happiness. When you’re on a long line at the post office, on hold for …
The Big Duh
I was visiting a quaint, historical city with my friend Suzanne, who had just slept over 10 hours that night. Although she had managed to control the urge to check her Blackberry for most of ourbrief vacation, she made the mistake of sneaking a quick peek. “Ugh, I’m so exhausted; I hardly got any sleep at all last night,” …
The Beer Can Camera
“Oh my God, I have to have it!” I laughed, as the woman at the market stall showed me her husband’s latest creation. Holding a camera made out of a flattened beer can, she pushed the button, and a spring-loaded, wooden face with wild, yarn hair and a huge sequin grin came popping out of the lens. That camera for …
Don’t Forget to Party
This may seem like a silly reminder, but you’d be surprised how often we forget to celebrate. So caught up in achieving our tasks and goals, we check one off the list, then rush ahead to complete the next. All too often, we forget to pause, pat ourselves on the back, and rejoice. I myself am celebrating today. Exactly one …
Happiness on Hold
“Please hold. A happiness representative will be with you shortly.” Why do so many of us put our happiness on hold? How many times have I heard friends and relatives who hate their jobs say, “It’s only for another 2 more years, 5 more years, 10 more years…?” So many people I’ve talked to who are in relationships that aren’t …