One of the most delicious things about being a wife is learning from spending so much time with someone whose strengths are different from mine. Here are three I have learned from my second husband, Ed: In just 48 hours, the tomorrow I’m busy fearing today will be the yesterday I have no time to think about. Multitasking is much less sexy and joy-producing than being focused on one thing...
May I Ask for a Bit of Help?
I could use your help with a problem I have. I need to find someone to rent my timeshare week in Virginia Beach from August 18 through 25, 2012. I always love this week, but this year it conflicts with a family gathering elsewhere. It’s between Atlantic Avenue and the boardwalk, with large windows and a balcony facing the ocean. It includes a bedroom with a big, comfortable, king size bed...
EITC Awareness Day
Today is Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Day. The IRS estimates that between a fifth and a quarter of those eligible for it fail to claim it. This year, with many couples struggling in ways they have not in the past, the Administration for Children and Families has made an effort to get the word out. From their press release: Are you eligible to claim EITC for 2011 taxes? Must have earned...
What Will You Accomplish Next?
The model for flourishing as a person includes five elements, according to the Father of Positive Psychology, Martin Seligman: Positive emotions Engagement Relationships Meaning and purpose Accomplishments The last part of PERMA is Accomplishments. The road to accomplishment is what researcher Angela Duckworth calls Grit. Psychologist Heidi Grant Halvorson, author of Succeed, offers some...
Meaning Matters
Continuing with Martin Seligman’s take on positive psychology, we come to the fourth element in PERMA, meaning and purpose. This is defined as being part of something bigger than oneself, something that will outlast you, something that affects more than just you. It is nice to share this with your spouse, but it is not necessary. You can pursue your own connections to something meaningful...