Emotional Health and Well-Being

They say that you can learn a lot about yourself and life from your own children. I'd say that they're absolutely right.

Our older son Joshua, now four and a half years old, is sweeter and more gentle than we could have wished for. These days, he lives to experience new and exciting things with his family. Things like riding the subway in Toronto for the first time, discovering the magic of helium balloons, and meeting new characters and worlds through trips to our library.

Over the last couple of years, Margaret and I have thought long and hard about the merits of home schooling vs. sending our children to public or private school.

It feels like we've been to the circus and back about a dozen times with this decision, and though we're leaning towards home-based learning for our boys, we continue to have moments of uncertainty.

A good friend recently asked if I have a favorite between our two boys. She wrote: "I know that you love them equally, but do you have a favorite?"

An interesting question to consider, and quite relevant to all of us who grew up with siblings where feelings of favoritism may have contributed to insecurity, depression, and other emotional challenges in adulthood.

Close friends and family members are typically surprised - shocked, even - when they learn that my wife Margaret and I have had a good number of fights over the years. At first glance, both of us are generally viewed as being kind, thoughtful, and maybe even a bit shy. So jaws tend to drop when people find out that we're far from being the Cleavers.

If you are finding it difficult to overcome tendencies to experience fear and anxiety about a health condition or any other aspect of your life, I hope that you realize that you are not alone.

For most of the year 2000, I worked and lived at a fasting clinic in northern California where I spent time with many groups of eclectic guests from all over the world.

I often tell my wife that during that year, I felt like I was floating around in a bubble, almost immune to any downers that life brought my way. Sure, there were times when I felt a bit crummy, but most of the time, I felt like I was at peace, able to feel compassion for anyone.

I've long been a believer in the idea that all of us are born to be creative artists. Playing music, drawing, acting, dancing, writing, designing, building, even playing sports at a high level - when we nurture our creative instincts through any of these artistic experiences, we stand a good stance of feeling deeply fulfilled, and we almost certainly add value to our and other people's lives. In my opinion, both of these consequences of nurturing our artistic spirits are essential to experiencing our best health.

Originally published in March, 2009

Late last year, I started playing tennis again after a hiatus of several years from regular play. It took me a few sessions to get my wind back, but all in all, it's been amazingly fun to be back out on the courts. I feel younger, stronger, and healthier than I have in several years.

Updated on July 3, 2009

Several years ago, I was fortunate to meet a lady named Deborah at a fasting clinic in northern California. I had several conversations with Deborah over the course of a year, and what I remember most is that her kindness was amazingly genuine - the feeling for me was that she had done a lot of inner work to identify the life principles that she strove to live by.

Originally published on September 21, 2009

On an evening trip to the public library a few days ago, I was greeted by a friendly worker as I checked our family's books in. Though we had said hello many times before, on this particular evening, I could tell from the way that she was looking at me that she had something to say.

"You're friends with Dr. Lee, right?"

"Yes, I know Dr. Lee from when we were kids," I replied.