RESOURCES

Chödrön's book is accessible and written from a humble perspective. She often includes stories of her own fumbles and foibles so the reader feels as if they are with a peer instead of being preached to.

The biggest takeaways for me are the aspirations. Especially, actively meditating on the well-being of those who anger and frustrate us.

Shankar Vedantam's podcast is informative and entertaining. His speaking style is full of kindness and humor which helps to make a podcast about the brain's inner workings easy to take in.

I would listen to it when taking my son to a weekly after-school appointment. It prompted many deep conversations between us.

A plus here, is that Vedantam usually gives a warning if adult content will be discussed so you can decide if it would work for your child.

I heard this song for the first time in 1993 and, like the majority of Cohen's music, it has stuck with me.

I've always been moved by the second half of the chorus: "There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in." To me, this has always meant embrace your mistakes because that's how we grow.

Then, a couple of years ago the first half helped me deal with crushing perfectionism: "Ring the bells that still can ring, forget your perfect offering."