“Every criticism, judgment, diagnosis, and expression of anger is the tragic expression of an unmet need.” -Marshall Rosenberg  When I was sixteen, a teenage fantasy came true. My friend, Shelly Silver, with whom I’d been flirting at school (doing a pretty good job of sounding sophisticated and knowledgeable despite my woeful lack of experience with the opposite sex) came over to my house for lunch, and let me “fool around” with her. It started abruptly …
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“Choosing not to act on an angry impulse and to feel the pain that lies beneath it is a very courageous thing to do.”     -Gary Zukav I’ve got a dear friend who has a very patient husband. He’s there when she’s sweet and loving, and he’s there when she’s petulant and argumentative. My friend, and I say this with love, is moody. She’s lucky to have found a man who rides the wave as he …
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Yesterday, I saw the movie, Hugo, for the second time; this time at home, without the benefit of 3D effects. Their absence didn’t diminish the impact in the least. In fact, the film hit me even harder the second time. If you haven’t seen it, you must. If you have and weren’t moved by it, skip the rest of this article…you won’t have the emotional depth to appreciate it. Hugo is about a boy hurt, …
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While coaching a client yesterday about the sheer overwhelm she’s been experiencing, and the inevitable consequence of feeling numb and passionless, I was reminded of an ancient Sufi story about Nasruddin, who lived in a small hut with his wife, seven children, five dogs, three cats, twelve chickens, three sheep and a goat. One day, the goat got out. Nasruddin awoke, took a deep breath, and said, “Wow, it’s so roomy in here!” While we …
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