Last night I watched the sun set over the Mediterranean, and I thought about fighting. There's just so much fighting lately. Some of it is essential- worthwhile. Conversations that are opportunities to make change, shift minds, make peace. Other fights feel like the gap is too wide- narratives too entrenched, the other person or party is too convinced of their side of the story, their perspective, their hurts. They won't be able to see you. To feel your pain. To hear your truth. Those fights...

When Omer Shem Tov got a call saying that his cruelest captor was killed, he laughed. He said when interviewed, "I'll tell you the truth, the first thing that happened was I simply started laughing. I smiled and started laughing. For me, it was a kind of closure. He was really one of the worst abusers, let's put it that way... I think it was the kind of laugh.. There's that saying (in Arabic) 'Every dog has its day...' I think it was that kind of laugh that came out of me." We all remember...

Today is my 39th Hebrew birthday. Every year on this date, I like to take a moment to reflect on where I am in my life. Other years have centered on productivity, healing, patience, gratitude, alignment, and rest. This year its been about being present in the moment. I learned long ago that I have minimal control over the world around me. Mainly, all I can control is my own mindset and my choices. So in a world gone mad, a chapter of grief and rage and struggle: this year I chose to make...