This 9/11, as we are more “connected” than ever, we can unwittingly forget something important. On this day, we can read articles, sure, and watch videos, and react on Facebook. We may feel like we’re honoring the day. But are we really?

You know what a Muggle is, right?

If you don’t, please take a minute to read all seven Harry Potter books. (Yes, there is a new Harry Potter book just released - the new play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - and my copy is currently in my “To Read Eventually” pile on my desk. But it's not required reading just yet.)

The National Park Service celebrates its 100th Birthday this year, with free entrance to all National Parks August 25th through 28th (among other dates). I didn’t know that when I visited Acadia National Park this past week, so I wasn’t able to save any money, but it’s a nice introduction to this blog post!

“Whenever you feel stupid, remember that there are people outside looking for Pokemon.” - the Internet

On March 20th, 1990, a Lufthansa flight took off from Frankfurt en route to Paris. Immediately after takeoff, the plane hit some turbulence and the left wing dropped slightly - a pretty normal occurrence, and no reason for concern. The pilot moved his sidestick, directing the plane to shift back to the right. And that’s when things started to go haywire.

Before my first summer as a sleepaway camp counselor, I asked my grandfather, Rabbi Dovid Price z”l, for some guidance.

“One year of sobriety? That’s amazing! Congratulations!” He doesn’t have the strength to tell them that he’s been drinking every weekend.

Would you get a tattoo? Think about that seriously for a moment. For most readers of this blog, I know it’s not something that comes up, what with the biblical prohibition and all. But it’s an interesting thought exercise. If you could, would you?

“Wherever you go, there you are.” -Jon Kabat-Zinn

Therapist, to what can I compare thee? To a barber, of course!

When I was growing up, we used to play a game called “Don’t wake Daddy.” On Friday nights, my father would fall asleep on the couch, and my siblings and I would try to see how close we could get to him before he stirred.

Lazy is the word that we use to criticize others for not getting things done. And lazy is the name we call ourselves when we fall short of our goals once again.

The Torah instructs us to judge others favorably. On the surface, that means don’t jump to conclusions when it seems that someone has done something wrong. To me, this is an essential part of living a spiritual life.

When I was applying to grad school, therapists had a bad rap. “I can’t send my son to therapy,” one mother said to me. “He’ll just learn to blame me for his problems.”

As the political season kicks into second gear, and the presumptive presidential nominees turn their attentions across the aisle, I am struck by the polarized speech exhibited by supporters of both political parties.

Speaking with someone earlier today, I mentioned the oft-quoted point that the Seder on this holiday of freedom represents the freedom that structure and order can bring us (seder means “order”). He surprised me by remarking that he had actually decided to keep less of the Passover laws this year, and because of that felt less restricted, more free.

A while back, I saw a statistic that gave me pause. In 2010, the Unites States made up about 4.6 percent of the world’s population, and consumed a disproportionate amount of the world’s opioid supply. Would you like to guess what the percentage is?

What is hitting bottom, and what does it have to do with change?

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” - Neale Donald Walsch

Here’s a bit of trivia and a question for the Star Trek fans out there: the starship Enterprise - the prized flagship of the United Federation of Planets - traveled through space with its shields at a feeble five percent power. Now, isn’t that a risky and unnecessarily dangerous decision, to be exposed to any number of unfathomable dangers in space, the Final Frontier?