Everyday Resilience: Achieving Emotional Buoyancy in Choppy Waters

When I think about resilience, I think of Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, who held her family together through death, homelessness, unemployment, and hunger. I think of Ishmael Beah, who lost his humanity as a child soldier in Sierra Leone’s civil war but later regained it, wrote a memoir, and now serves as an advocate for the rehabilitation of child soldiers. And I think of my friends Ann and Jim. Within a span of 18 months, they separated and reconciled, she learned she had cancer and underwent treatment, and he lost his job.
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Greening Up Your Act

Photo credit: iStockphoto.com/Falconiaz

One of the best things coming out of the push toward sustainability is the increasing awareness that with a little effort, we can do a lot of good. Energy use in commercial buildings and manufacturing plants accounts for nearly half of energy consumption nationwide, so the workplace is a low-hanging fruit, in a way, even if your company doesn’t have any programs or policies in place. Here’s what you personally can do, starting today.
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Writing More with Less: Time-Saving Subject Lines

If good subject lines came naturally to us, we’d all write them, e-mail would be more effective, and the world would be a better place.
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This is the Life

Illustration credit: Nigel Buchanan

Couples are getting more creative in structuring their lives to support their careers, their families, and their personal needs. Although challenging, it is possible to find fulfillment with a little bit of creativity. And maybe some compromise.
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