Being our true selves, not the person we believe we should be, can take a lot of courage. Most of us were raised to behave a certain way by being praised for “good” behavior and shamed for “bad” behavior. That’s how we were taught to conform to the traditions and expectations of our family and community—to “follow the rules.”
Read MoreDuring the years I was writing Quest for Eternal Sunshine, I was steeped in my father’s story and philosophy. One of the things that struck me the most about his journey from being a tortured Holocaust survivor to one of the most joyous people I ever met was his determination to remember the good.
Read MoreMy father, who was an extremely diligent explorer of his own psyche, wrote a lot about the ego—how it constantly seeks approval and is always trying to make us into the person it thinks we should be versus encouraging us to be the personal we naturally are.
Read MoreI wouldn’t be surprised if the title of this blog—Choose to Let Go of Suffering—triggers some people, mostly because this statement used to trigger me. Suffering is everywhere. Nobody wants to suffer. How can we simply choose to let go of it?
Read MoreFor decades after the war, my father was plagued by terrible nightmares and unrelenting depression. Happiness felt like a far-away shore he could dream about but never reach.
Read MoreRemembering to be grateful for this moment—appreciating what is happening right now instead of constantly striving to get exactly what we think will make us happy—is an important lesson I learned from my dad. When I do this, the world is as my father often described it: an exceptionally beautiful and magical place.
Read MoreMy father once said, “You have to be as careful with the thoughts you think as you are with the food you eat.” As an organic farmer and cookbook author—someone who spent decades passionately promoting the benefits of healthy organic food—this statement immediately caught my attention.
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