My Father, Norman Coats I was fortunate to be raised in a two-parent family. Mom and Dad’s contributions to my development couldn’t have been more different. Mom nurtured music, crafts, and arts. Dad was strictly analytical, specializing in question-probing Socratic instruction. Mom was never comfortable with numbers; Dad was never comfortable with hugs. I honored my Mother’s contribution on Mother’s Day. Today, it’s Dad’s turn. Dad was a natural instructor. Our relations

One of the more powerful lessons I’ve learned is embarrassing to confess, but here goes: Life isn’t about me— it’s the other way around. I am about life. That may sound obvious, but who doesn’t structure their lives around their dreams, ambitions, and desires? Progress doesn’t happen on its own. Which explains why I’ve been slow on the uptake. Age probably helped. With time, I discovered that I can’t control everything. Besides, it’s becoming clearer every day that my life

I formerly held a stressful executive job. When I retired, I expected my stress level to plummet. It didn’t exactly work out that way. It turns out, we manufacture our own stress, most often, when things don’t go our way. I’m not sure why we expect life to always go our way. But it doesn’t, and when it doesn’t, we stress out. Stress is essentially the adult version of a two-year-old’s tantrum, only the outbursts are held inside. Realizing this and then doing something about

Why We Can't See It and What to Do When Someone Clues Us In. Perhaps you're familiar with shadow work — a practice with roots in Carl Jung’s psychology that explores the unconscious, "darker" parts of one's personality to increase self-awareness and improve relationships. We are usually blind to our shadow side, even though others see it clearly. Everyone has a shadow, but it’s rarely confronted because its traits are deeply embedded and personal. Our shadow side is the flat

Today, we honor mothers’ contributions to our lives. It’s impossible to separate the part of me that comes from Mom. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us. As we get older, our relationship with time changes. Time moves out of the shadows and assumes a position of prominence. Mom left us seventeen years ago. Were she alive, she would be approaching her 100th birthday. Mom never liked to draw attention to herself. I hope she wouldn’t mind me sharing a few memories: P

What does "the good life" really look like? Sometimes it's not wealth, success, or retirement—but a joyful stranger dancing through life regardless of the weather.