I asked some friends recently if they had ever witnessed a miracle. 

The question came from a Table Topics card—a game that poses compelling prompts to start a dialogue in a group.

So many things to let go of as we get older.

For example, I used to pass by a particular Dunkin Donuts every day. 

Back when my son was young, after I dropped him off at day care, I stopped at that Dunkin’s to pick up a quick cup of coffee on my way to work downtown—as I headed in to a job that was bigger than I had any business doing. 

I wish I were brave enough to ________. 

How would you complete this sentence? 

I wish I were brave enough to sole trek sacred sites in Tibet.

Can you think of a time when you were really angry? 

Eyes, forehead-vein-popping, voice-raising mad? 

Think back to that moment. 

I’ve been singing lately.

I love to sing. 

Sang in school choirs my whole life and in chamber chorus in high school.

On a podcast I was listening to once, the host asked a question as they discussed navigating the noise of the modern world.

They asked, What is the deepest silence you have ever known?

Our bodies are always communicating. 

What is your body saying to you right now?

Is it saying, “I’m tired, go back to bed!”

I heard some great wisdom from the instructor in a yin yoga class once. 

Stay friendly with what’s happening.

Stay friendly. What exactly does that mean?

I went on a whale watch off Cape Cod with some friends recently, and we saw the second largest mammal on the planet. 

Think about that: The second largest mammal on Earth!

Fin whales.

Mark Nepo once asked a thoughtful question in Spirituality and Health magazine.

And that was: "What is one question your life has centered around"? 

I went on a high ropes course once.

It was part of a leadership program.

The idea was to maneuver our bodies through a bunch of scary elements off the ground in order to build camaraderie and trust.

I was recently in the Orkney Islands, Scotland. 

We visited Skara Brae, a Neolithic village from 3200 BCE. One of Europe’s most complete stone settlements.

A 5,000-year-old community!

Sometimes, when I wake up early, I think, “I have some time. I’ll pop on Facebook for a few minutes.” 

An hour later, after cycling through that, Instagram, Linked In, and email, I suddenly think, “How did it get to be 7:30?” 

Imagine that moment when 9-1-1 calls come in. 

Picture the person who answers the phone.

No matter what is happening on the other end, that dispatcher must stay calm and centered and coordinate an appropriate response.

When I try to make sense of these times, I don’t get very far.

How about you?

A study conducted in my state of 9,500 people, including parents, teachers, and community members, showed high anxiety: 73 percent of parents said their child is as anxious or more anxious than the year before.

Ever wonder what Future You thinks about Present You?

In other words, if you could talk to a 10-years-older-and-wiser You, what would that more experienced You say?

I remember Saturday mornings as a kid. 

My brother and sister and I would plant ourselves in front of our big wooden console TV and switch between its two or three channels with a giant knob.

Have you ever been broken, and you still went on? 

Have you ever felt cut down at the knees, and yet still found your way to move forward?

I want to tell you about Moon. 

Moon was a humpback whale that lived off the coast of British Columbia in the summer, Maui in the winter. 

Ever wonder what you were like as a kid? 

Not the stories your parents might have told you, but the real you—what lit you up, what you gravitated toward when no one was watching, what brought you pure joy for reasons you couldn’t even explain at the time?

Our world seems to be on fire.

In some places, it is actually burning. The hazy smoke from fires in Canada is once again blanketing the northeast. I was connecting with some folks in Maui this week as they faced a local fire that was forcing people to evacuate. And communities in Gaza and Ukraine and other parts of the world are being swallowed by fire.