We all say we want to be happy. Happy feels great. It seems like the goal to shoot for, but ultimately happy isn’t where you want to land. Why? Because the state of being what we call happy is often contingent upon getting something or someone, whether it’s the love of your life, the money, the job, the house, the car, the designer handbag, courtside tickets or something else, and eventually the happiness will disappear and we will be left disappointed, frustrated, or yearning for the next shiny thing.

Is midlife a state of mind or a state of body? I’d say both. No doubt, it’s not an era with clear lines of demarcation like adolescence or retirement. So, all the more reason to create a quick quiz to figure out if you’re middle-aged. You get one point for each “yes” answer (please don’t take this too seriously; it’s meant to be fun and funny).

A recent New York Times story reminded me of this almost un-American concept, even though it's how most Americans experience Paris. Flâner is a verb meaning 'to stroll,' while a flâneur is a person of leisure who enjoys wandering the streets—soaking in the city and surroundings while appreciating its beauty.

In a past post, I talked about one of MEA’s wisdom practices of “Mentoring Stones.” The fine art of rock balancing has a lot in common with mentoring. Both require presence, patience, and an intuition for knowing when to step back and realize the rock or young person is ready to stand on their own.

The Dark Night of the Soul was popularized by a 16th-century mystic and Spanish poet who believed that a purification of the spirit comes from facing difficult challenges and surrendering to God’s wishes. In modern, secular times, it is often considered a time when one is going through a series of seemingly-impossible circumstances like the death of a loved one, the breakup of a marriage, or a painful failure.

I loved stumbling upon this article that distinguishes between expiring skills and permanent skills. Here’s an excerpt:

In my sessions as a spiritual director, I started noticing something: whenever someone described someone as “wise”, it was usually a sage or spiritual teacher of some sort: a Richard Rohr, a Ken Wilbur, a Ram Dass, a Tara Brach.

"The world envies our ability to spin out long meals with eternal sobremesas (over the table conversations). Sobremesa is a custom that unites us with family and friends around that which we love doing most. Eating. This is because in Spain, happiness is pronounced 'sobremesa.'" - Alberto Piernas Medina

Neuroscience teaches us that a young adult's brain is fast and focused, with a similar value to having a flashlight on a night hiking trip. It can move quickly and offers precision control so that you can quickly see the path ahead of you. There's a certain intensity to a flashlight and a young brain.

How does one respond to a cancer diagnosis? For some, it's an all-out war: "I'm gonna beat you, Cancer." For others, it's an acquiescence: "I'm surrendering to you, Cancer… you're bigger than me."