As the weather begins to tilt toward winter, one of the President’s lies that carries an especially toxic sting is that the pandemic is “rounding the corner.” The evidence to the contrary is everywhere in plain sight, both here at home and around the world. That means a continuation of the current constraints that most of us have resigned ourselves to, at least until spring, when the magical...

“The Army Rolls Out a New Weapon: Strategic Napping.” That was the headline on an October 1st article in the New York Times. I found it very heartening that the army, that repository of so much of our culture’s machismo, was lifting the stigma from an activity that has been seen as a sign of weakness, of – God Forbid – femininity. The army’s announcement joins those from various college campuses...

During these months of isolation, near total for many of us, pet owners’ emotional lives have become even more enmeshed in the lives of the dogs, cats, rabbits and more exotic creatures that may be their passion. Dogs have never been better walked and cats have never had less time to be in full solitary control of their domiciles. A few months into the quarantine, our beloved cat died at age 18...

A friend wiser than I in the ways of organizations is convinced that the way things start leaves an indelible mark on how they turn out. Whatever we do, we always try to get off on the right foot, whether it’s a first date, the first honeymoon night, a first day at work, the beginning of a novel or the launch of a new coffee shop. But the question that my friend’s axiom has left me to ponder over...

I’m dedicating this piece to my dear friend David K. Cohen, who died on Wednesday morning, September 23rd, the day after I finished writing it. Everything I say about the sanctity of dying during this special period on the Jewish calendar applies to David as much as to RBG. He too battled against a multitude of ailments to which he refused to succumb. She had her army of law clerks. He had his...