Empty Pegs: a gymnastics story, part II — I’ve said it. You’ve said it. We’ve all said it. To a child, to a co-worker, to a friend, to ourselves. Hard work makes all the difference Hard work is different from the money that buys good equipment, top coaching, transportation, and hours in big gyms. …

He’s doubling down: getting away from people he can’t trust — Have you ever met someone you listen to for the quality nuggets while ignoring the crazy? I remember my wife’s uncle, a tough-guy, ex-New York City cop. On my first Thanksgiving dinner with her family, he and I quietly stood up against a loud-mouthed boyfriend. The boyfriend was prattling on…

Empty pegs: a gymnast’s story, part I — The walls of old New England homes are stuffed. Pictures memorialize family and generations gone before. Paintings show places traveled. Pegs near doors hold the hats, scarves, and jackets that protect us from the outside world. Some pegs hold things that are heavy: coats dripping from winter’s blast or bags…

Teaching Harvard’s President to understand the world — An Israeli friend and I have continued a dialogue that began on October 7, hours after the barbaric Hamas attacks into Israel. He was horrified by the assault and urged the world to stand with Israel. Israel’s Quandary — Asleep In a Self-Induced Coma So sad for our friends. So sad for us all.americanbutterfly.medium.com Months earlier he had regaled me with stories of the valiance of hundreds of…

Focus on the little things — You feel it in your bones. You see it in the polls. Trump is going to win again. There are those who love the man, for sure. But more are caught up in what he stands for. They see him as a jetty of rock standing strong against the ocean…

A scam? Or another terrible day in a terrible world? — “Be careful” is my father-in-law’s mantra. Life feels unsafe for Papa: the window in the garage door, the appliance repair person left unsupervised, even the neighbor picking up your kids. Each emanates palpable danger to him. Papa admonishes me, “You think people are always decent. That the world looks out…

Mike Johnson tells us God gives him his authority — The new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, is really, really old fashioned. That can be risky for democracy. As soon as he was elected Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Mike Johnson personally sent me an email: It is nice to be spoken to, no matter whether he…

Praying that history does not repeat — Hello to Israel. This letter is from the thoughtful, decent Americans who experienced 9/11 and its aftermath. First and foremost we want to make clear to you that WE FEEL YOUR PAIN. We offer our condolences to the families of your mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters lost on October 7…

Mr. Rogers weeps but keeps on trying — It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood A beautiful day for a neighbor Would you be mine? Could you be mine? Won’t you be my neighbor? Mister Rogers, like everyone, has been cancelled in the Holy Land. In much of America, too. A beautiful day for a neighbor. Hamas fighters…