Lifestyle

If there is one thing you can do that helps lift your spirits, reset your mind, sleep better, and enhance your general quality of life, it is to move your body in whatever way that works for you; and whatever you choose to do, try and make it fun or something that you enjoy. There seems to be a general agreement that if there was one "magic pill" that universally contributes to well-being, exercise/movement would be it. There are going to be highs and lows in life, many, if not all, which you have little to n[...]

Your Dad and I remark regularly how lucky you guys are to have one another - to play with, for companionship, to have someone share in the same childhood memories and experiences, and a partner in life that you will have for the rest of your days.  We see how much love you have for one another and it fills our hearts. Sometimes it almost feels like too much, and my heart is so full, I am overwhelmed by emotion and want to cry. I guess that's where the saying "tears of joy" come from. As you know, and hav[...]

When I was in graduate school in Syracuse, New York, that was the longest stretch of time that I had been away from my family. I moved there in July 2007, and it was around September and Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, that my mom called me.  I remember her telling (reminding) me it was Mid-Autumn Festival, when we usually had family reunion dinners and ate moon cakes together. She told me to go to the window and look out to see if I could see the moon, and I recall that being a tender, intimate moment, and[...]

This post is written, 8 months into COVID, and is a reminder about the importance of mindfulness and equanimity, and the practice of meditation to help achieve the former two. There is a large body of research that supports the benefits, large and small, of mindfulness—just being aware of how you are feeling, what surrounds you, and generally being present in the moment.  This has helped me immensely the last few months with feelings of low-level anxiety, stress, and isolation. Of course, there wil[...]