I am part of a wonderful group of women who are moms and business owners. We meet once a month to talk about our businesses (and about our kids, our spouses, our vacations, our lack of sleep and other peri- and postmenopausal symptoms, and local happenings.. you know the drill). I have known these women for about 10 years, so I would venture to call them “new” friends. At a dinner recently, Heather, a “new” friend and member of the group, remarked about how patient I am. When she said this, I was stunned and immediately argued with her that I am actually incredibly impatient. Or at least that’s what people have told me much of my life. Then, when I got home from our dinner, I thought about what she said. Maybe she was right. Maybe I am patient…..now.

Phew! It happened! My dad celebrated his second Bar Mitzvah this past Saturday.

When you’re dealing with an 83-year-old bar mitzvah boy and grandchildren who are living around the globe and childhood friends who are octogenarians, there’s a constant worry that it will not all come together. Thankfully, it did. Four of my dad’s grandkids showed up in person and three over Zoom. My son Hudson even wore a kippah and collared shirt while he watched the service from his college bedroom. My mom, who is not a morning person (understatement of the century) was there with my dad at 9:20 am sharp. And my nephew, who is in New Zealand for the semester, zoomed in at 2:30 am his time. No one wanted to miss this big event.

It has been a delight to watch my husband Gideon embark on a new career. Four years ago he left his career as a tax lawyer and took some time to contemplate his next step. He then began building a Trust and Estate law practice. This subject matter plays to his strengths; his attention to detail, curiosity about the law, desire to get to know people and his communication skills. I remember when he was three months into his new gig, we realized that he is really good at this and, equally important, he really liked doing it. Phew.

When I entered my latest book into Goodreads, confetti filled my the screen. I had won! I met my reading goal for the year. And it is only September!

But then I wondered, is this a good thing?

Is it ok to prioritize reading with abandon?

What am I avoiding? What am I not doing?

But then again, Goodreads is celebrating. So maybe it’s not all that bad?

I just went to two broadway shows in the last few weeks: Call Me Izzy and John Proctor is the Villain. I love to arrive at shows a little early so I can sit in my seat and look around. These theatres are so beautiful. The walls, the ceilings, the lighting. Each theatre has its own personality. I sat in the fourth row for the first show and I was in the very last row for the second show. Either way there is nothing like the feeling you get when the lights go down and the show is about to start. The excitement is palpable.

During my family vacation at the beach last week, my dad was telling us stories about our family history. He told us about how our relatives left the Old Country and arrived in America with nothing and somehow started a life against the odds. He told us one particular story about my great-grandma Jennie (my mom’s grandmother) that was hard to believe. When she lived in Russia, she had to walk outside in the freezing cold without shoes. In order to keep her feet warm while walking, she would step in horse dung. Yes, you read it right. My great-grandma Jennie intentionally sought out horse dung to keep her bare feet warm in intolerable conditions.

Have you ever watched a a toddler attempt to do something new? Their furrowed brow, tongue sticking out, intense focus to figure something out. The purity of their effort is mesmerizing. They are trying so hard.

I have a tendency to feel hopeful and optimistic when I witness someone trying. There is nothing so vulnerable, so sincere. Trying requires effort. And effort is often considered uncool. The romantic idea that things should come naturally is overrated. I embrace the uncool. As artist Sol DeWitt said when advising artist Eva Hesse:

“Don’t worry about cool, make your own uncool”.

I visited Kripalu: Center for Yoga and Health last weekend. Upon arrival one cannot help but slow down. Everything moves slowly and intentionally there. Slowness is so highly valued there that when someone rushed past me on the way to a class she apologized profusely for her speed. It made me laugh because it is the opposite in NYC where people apologize for moving too slowly. Being encouraged to go slowly, naturally calms your nervous system. I immediately became more connected to my body and my breath. I began to notice the beauty of my surroundings, I was more friendly with strangers and the food tasted better.

My parents, who are both in their early 80s, put a new bird feeder up in their backyard. As soon as it was up, they texted the family thread a photo of the feeder. Our family thread (comprised of me, my brother and sister and our spouses, and all 7 grandchildren) is an active place. A place where birthdays are celebrated, exciting news is shared, politics are discussed and plans are made. My mom brings lots of humor to the thread—both intentionally and unintentionally — and the kids get a kick out of it. I adore our little multi-generational community. Anyway, back to the bird feeder.

Growing up, I watched my brother Mitch become actively involved in local elections. He was drawn to politics from a young age. He would canvass door to door and help out however he could. My sister Danielle and I sometimes tagged along—going door to door with him. But it took me years of living and learning before I found my way to activism.

When my son Hudson was in preschool he was obsessed with garbage and recycling trucks. Mondays and Thursdays were sacred. We would wait for the trucks to come with excitement of a celebrity sighting. Hudson would jump up and down as garbage collectors arrived and wave happily to them.

We would occasionally arrive late to nursery school on those days if the garbage or recycling guys were running behind schedule. Luckily, he went to a preschool that supported his passion and welcomed his late arrival with open arms.

If you have been reading my newsletter for a while, you know that I have started swimming. I recently tapped into my love of swimming from my childhood and decided it was the right way to round out my movement routine. Swimming is gentle on the body and, for me, calming on the soul.

I have had a need for efficiency since I was a kid. I struggle to do something inefficiently in the same way people can’t stand a crooked picture on the wall or a typo in an email. It is a form of perfectionism for me that is so hard to shake, even though I really don’t have to be as efficient anymore.

I am so happy to announce that my LinkedIn training, Beyond the Profile is HERE!! I have been working on this training for a long time and it is time to finally send it out into the world. I hope you LOVE it.

I have been thinking a lot about the people who keep showing up, even when things are tough. Below is my admiration for many of the ways we keep going.

When I was in high school, I went with a dozen classmates to Gijon, Spain and we each stayed with a different family. I had never been out of the country before. As the plane flew over Spain, I watched awestruck, I was about to land in a new country! My appreciation for the opportunity was immense. When I met my Spanish family, they immediately made me a part of their family. They wanted me to experience their country and their province on a deeply personal level. They loved teaching me about their culture. My time in Spain with that family was a pivotal moment for me. A reminder that the right people at the right time can make an experience exceptional.

“You never know your good breaks from your bad ones”. This was a line repeated over and over in Ina Garten’s memoir “Be Ready When the Luck Happens”. I appreciated this sentiment. You often hear people say things like, “it’s a good thing I got rejected from such and such college because….” “It’s a good thing I didn’t get the promotion because…” “I’m glad we didn’t get that house because…” “I am so glad so and so broke up with me because…” There are so many times we are devastated over things that turn out to be exactly the right thing. But you can’t know until later.

My friend Lourdes is a natural connector. When I was a yoga instructor, she was constantly recruiting new students for me and she wasn’t even one of my regular students. She is always thinking about how she can be helpful and you absolutely never need to ask. It is just in her DNA. When I work with job seeking clients, I ask them to take a moment to think about their friends who are natural connectors and encourage them to reach out to them first. So take a moment to think: who are your connectors? Write them down.

I recently started taking swimming lessons and my instructor is amazing. She is a mom of 5 kids and she glides through that water like she is on vacation at a resort. So I am going to listen to her when she tells me to take my swimming effort down a notch. She needs to remind me I am not going to the Olympics a shocking amount of times given the fact that I still need to use a paddle board to practice my kicking.

As a career coach, I see the magic of LinkedIn on a regular basis. Sometimes I have to encourage my clients move past their resistance so they can reap the rewards. Here are the top 5 misconceptions I hear when working with clients.