Conflict is normal in relationships, and perfect compatibility only happens in fairytales. But knowing how to fight fair can lead us to a happy ending. The first requirement is a supportive environment. So we need to make two agreements right up front. First, that a […]
There’s Power In Our Perceptions
As a single parent of three sons, the license plate on my car read BOYSNI, because most of my statements seemed to begin with, “The boys ’n I….” But after seven years, my girlfriend said to me, “Grace, if you don’t lose that license plate, […]
World AIDS Day
December 1 is World AIDS Day, designated since 1988 as an international day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of the HIV infection. It’s also an opportunity to mourn those who have died from the disease. I volunteered as […]
In The 80s, We Walked On Fire
In the 80s, I was young and impressionable, living in a spiritual community, cooking for visiting luminaries like Buckminster Fuller, Peter and Eileen Caddy, Barbara Marx Hubbard and Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. And my astrology back then said I ate idealism for breakfast. One day, my teacher […]
Karma Is Friendlier Than It Sounds
The popularized concept of karma is that it’s cosmic payback for doing something wrong. But really, it’s the process of setting a cause in motion and experiencing the effect. So how can we identify karma in our daily lives? Here’s a fail-proof test: If something […]
What’s Our Self-Talk Saying About Us?
I locked my keys in the car one day, with the motor running. It’s not something you want to run around telling everyone, but it’s also not something you can solve by yourself. It happened in a strip-mall parking lot, so I decided to ask […]
Earthworms And Angels
Recently, I dreamed of watching myself, seated in a gold-framed box hanging in outer space, tethered by a thread to something out of sight. Hanging from my left shoulder blade was a long, folded angel wing. And in my arms, I was cradling the other […]
Finding Love Is An Inside Job
Soon after Ron and I met, when we were just becoming acquainted as friends, I felt nauseas one day. Ron’s a doctor, and he wanted to help. So he offered to stick his finger down my throat to make me throw up. “Wow!” I thought. “This […]
We’re All In This Together
One of my best friends rode around for more than a year with our mutual friend’s ashes in the trunk of her car, in a Styrofoam food container, sealed with masking tape, marked “Jim.” She was waiting for the perfect opportunity to scatter Jim’s ashes […]
My Main Takeaway From Visiting Patmos
On a trip to Greece several years ago, Ron and I island-hopped, which meant arriving without a reservation for a place to stay, with just a small backpack and one other set of clothes – and using ferries to sail between the islands, where entrepreneur-ish […]
Disciplining Children Is More Than Changing Their Behavior
I recently overheard my son say something to his child, and I had the sense that it wouldn’t work out well for them. It wasn’t serious. Just one of those statements we make to our kids, subtly manipulating them to do what we want them to […]
How To Stay Calm When Everyone’s Losing It
On a visit to Taormina on Sicily, our hotel was situated so that we could stand on our balcony and see Mount Etna in the distance. I told Ron how great it was that the locals had strung colored lights down the mountainside. He said, […]
Grace de Rond 