Comfort food.  Soul food.  I’m used to hearing these descriptors for macaroni and cheese, but I heard a man today talk this way about ramen, as he took me to a restaurant that […]

Should companionship ever rival traditional dating?  Any of us companions has some responsibility to separate fact from fiction; I don’t recommend my services in lieu of traditional love.  I’m honest with my clients […]

There are a few reasons my attitude toward stress does me harm.  The first is behavioral…if I think I’m stressed, I’m more likely to reach for a cocktail, cookies or other ways to help […]

It’s not hard to find evidence of phones and devices taking priority over real conversation.  Just look around the next time you go out to eat—chances are there will be at least a few […]

Back in 2017, I joined some friends for the Women’s March downtown.  Sharing the moment with so many disparate souls who cared enough about a cause to show up (if only voting worked that […]

My beauty rituals are as good for my soul as they are for my looks.  Sometimes they’re an elaborate, all-day affair; other times they’re quick and to the point.  That fast and furious […]

Hi there, you going a hundred miles an hour.  Stop.  Look around.  What do you see?  What do you smell?  How does your body feel right at this very moment?

Fellow humans, I’m going to give you the whole truth because I’m done giving less.  I’m done holding back, holding out, holding in.  I’m done containing the hurricanes inside me.  The truth:

I remember the village idiot when I was at UC Berkeley.  He’d come out mostly in the evenings, sometimes naked, sometimes clothed, playing hide-and-seek throughout the neighborhood, swaying, dancing and laughing.  His laughter […]

Identity feels very stable.  You know who you are, where you come from and what you  most value in life.  Your identity provides you a sense of continuity, tying you to your […]

Last week, my 11-year-old niece challenged me to a one-on-one basketball game.  Although I anticipated an easy victory, she dodged, scrambled and whirled circles around me on her way to a convincing win.  […]

I recently lost one of the great storytellers of my life.  My Dad’s mom passed away after what I think most people would consider a good run.  For 104 years the world threw […]

Staples Center, here in my home town, is a lot like Twitter.  You’re curious about how it works and once you’re in, you become addicted.  Your own network of friends in the social network multiplies.  […]

There was one exclusive group that I’d always longed to join:  the Aunt Club.  Having worshipped my own globe-trotting, sports-car-driving uncle, I couldn’t wait to sit on the other side of the fence.  My Uncle […]