Belonging

“I’d like to phone a friend.” I was in high school when this phrase became ubiquitous. A new primetime gameshow captured all of our attention with a two-week evening special hosted by Regis Philbin.

The week before Passover, I learned about the passing of Margot Stern Strom. It struck me how much of Margot’s life and teachings echoed the traditions of Passover, asking us to remember our shared history, pass down the knowledge to the next generation, and learn in community so we gain compassion and empathy for all others who are persecuted.

It’s time we reframe the meaning of “boys will be boys” and honor their deep emotional needs for relationships of all types. Because at the end of the day, relationships are the foundation of a meaningful life.

Disconnection and rupture are part of life. Our work in the science of connection demonstrates that the key to feeling calm and secure is to repair and reconnect, over and over again.

As an eternal optimist and tinkerer, I thrive on being at a fork in the road. I love knowing that lessons can be learned from reflection and that beautiful opportunities are right at our feet, waiting for us to take the next step. And the truth is, we don’t need to wait for the new year to do it.

It’s in moments of reflection, when we take a step back to look at a cross-section of our own “trunks,” that we can see a concentric pattern of rings emerge, giving us clues about the conditions and magnitude of emotions we attach to formative experiences over our lifetime.

What is something that you believe is not working in our society today that you could help tend to and maybe even solve by building something better?

Small moments of connection are what we need to build trust, a core element in any healthy relationship, before we can come together to solve bigger societal challenges.