Promoting improved mental health education and the de-stigmatization of mental illness have long been central to my purpose as a writer, speaker and human being, which is why, when a global celebrity steps up to talk about this issue, it catches my attention and hopefully that of millions of others. On October 9, The Guardian ran an editorial co-signed by Lady Gaga and World Health Organization Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom, “At present, every nation in the world is a ‘developing … [Read more...]
The New and Scary Face of Halloween, and Why We Love to be Frightened
Next week, in keeping with the season, the latest incarnation of the horror movie Halloween will have its debut in theaters across America. I was a young adult when John Carpenter’s utterly terrifying 40-year-old movie masterpiece first came out. The original low-budget film successfully launched the film career of Jamie Lee Curtis, daughter of actress Janet Leigh of Psycho fame. I must admit, it scared the bejeezus out of me. It also forever changed the course of horror cinema in our country, … [Read more...]
What Makes a Word Real?
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve had a love affair with words. I’m thrilled by their playfulness, rhythm and rhyme, and how the same expression used in one context can convey something entirely different in another. When I was young, one of my favorite songs that captured that sense of playfulness with words was the “Name Game” by Shirley Ellis. To me, sharing a common vocabulary has always been a way of establishing a sense of specialness – belonging to a group. I’ve also … [Read more...]
The Inspirational Power of Unlikely Friendships
When I was a teenager, a remarkable Disney film was released called The Incredible Journey. Filmed in Calgary, Canada, it tells the heartwarming story of a cat named Tao and two dogs named Bodger and Luath. When their family goes on vacation, they decide to leave the animals temporarily in the custody of a friend. The threesome quickly decide to take matters into their own “paws,” embarking on a harrowing 250-mile journey across the Canadian Rockies. They risk lives and limb, look out for … [Read more...]
Good News and Kindness Amidst Destruction
Sometimes, when I turn on the news and hear the cacophony of harsh words that jar the soul, I begin to think we’ve lost our humanity. These words that blare from our radios and televisions can be so hateful and deliberately controversial that they serve only to polarize and make us question, what is truth? There has been a bright spot recently, though, in the most unexpected place. While Hurricane Florence hit our East Coast with a thunderous, debilitating blast of water and wind, it appears … [Read more...]
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