Some things happened to me between first and eighth grade over which my parents and family had little control. I have written elsewhere about my exit from heterosexuality. As daunting as that process was for my parents and me, its most obvious manifestations, its bumpiest ride, happened in adolescence and young adulthood. But in many ways,…
Toni Morrison exhorts us to read Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book, Between the World and Me, by just putting it out there: “This is required reading.” The only way I could expand on that perfect direction is to possibly add, “Then, re-read.” I hope over the next many months to come back to Coates’ writing and thinking…
In many ways our common practices, those things we do year in and year out, define us as a community or communities. In political stump speeches, national and local candidates ask rhetorical questions like, “What do we stand for as a nation?” and “Are we unified by greed and fear?” Then, depending on the candidate,…
Advanced warning: I am not a religious person, but I have history. Lots of it. My family was Catholic during my childhood and at least for a generation before that, but has Jewish roots on one side and quite possibly on both. As a young boy I found great solace in church and its beautiful…
On Facebook I recently posted my annoyance with people who seem to require five or more feet of space around them while waiting in lines. I see this regularly in coffee shops, convenience stores, and ice cream shops. In the case of this last one, I saw a person next in line who was so…
From the time I first studied psychology as an undergraduate, I recall four things vividly. Likely the last to actually happen is the one that stands out most. I was ready to declare my psychology major at the end of my sophomore year when a professor told me in class that I could not be…
Last week after I was in class for well over an hour, I suggested we take a 10 minute break. I dashed to the restroom and, when I got to the urinal, I discovered that my fly was open. A minute later, as I was washing my hands, I debated if I were going to…
For at least 10 years I have included a class on relationships in the university course I teach in the Psychology of LGBT People. These lessons have changed a great deal during those 20+ semesters, but have become increasingly personal in the past few. I have noticed that students are holding more and more popular…
Keep a circular breath flowing, Gary. Notice the freshest possible air coming in through your nose and, unobstructed, out through your mouth. Breathing in, breathing out. Breathing in, breathing out. There is only the air — freshest and sweetest possible. Only the air… Then I was gone. When I came back to the mat on…
One reason I like to know objectives for meetings, purposes of products and services, or values of a group engaging in some endeavor is so I can assess for myself how we are doing. Are we headed toward the solution to a problem? Will this gizmo make the work easier or my life better? What’s…
Creating Community for Everyone 