MSI Press Blog

  Today's book excerpt comes from Widow: How to Survive (and Thrive!) in Your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Years  by Joanna Romer. Year Two Carving Out a Place for Yourself Nothing in my previous experience prepared me for being a widow, not my 40 years of job experience, ranging from Cosmopolitan Magazine to St. John’s University; not my 25 years of marriage to my beloved husband, Jack; not even my five years of worrying about Jack as he slowly become fatally ill. The widow experience is, as I’m sure you’ll agree, unprecedented. We can’t sugarcoat being a widow. After a year of widowhood, you’ve probably figured that out. It’s hard, it’s a struggle, it’s not something that goes away like the flu. And, unless you get married again, you’re going to be a widow from now on. Yet, believe it or not, you can get used to it. I feel pretty good about my widow status now, although it’s taken me awhile the reach that plateau---4 ½ years. The first year was a killer, wasn’t it? The depression, the pain

  Today's book excerpt comes from  Widow: A Survival Guide for the First Year by Joanna Romer. Two Rules for Survival   There is married, and there is married. Most of my friends, influenced by the women’s empowerment movement of the 1970s, worked at jobs they liked, even if they had children. They had careers, meaning their job wasn’t just something to do for money---it was meaningful work that fulfilled a part of their being. These women weren’t married in the same way their mothers were married. No matter how much they loved their husbands, from the very beginning of their adult lives they sought satisfaction through paths in addition to marriage. If you were one of these women, be grateful. Be grateful that you learned early on that your whole meaning in life does not rest solely with a man. If you were not one of these women, be grateful too, because you’re going to learn this valuable truth now. And these are just two of the many blessings you should be grateful for.

  Today's book excerpt comes from When You're Shoved from the Right, Look to the Left   by Omar Imady . THE SHEEP THAT NEVER LOST HOPE There once was a sheep who dreamed of walking in the very front row of her flock, but each time she tried to move towards the front, she was pushed back by her strong and mighty sisters and brothers. “Know your place, sheep,” they would whisper. “Even the very last row is too much for you.” Day after day the sheep would try to move towards the front row, and day after day she was pushed back with sarcasm. A dawn arrived when the shepherd, after having directed his flock towards the usual northern pasture field, suddenly stopped and decided he would try out a pasture field to the south which he had heard about from one of his friends. With his rod, he gestured to his flock to turn towards the opposite direction and suddenly the sheep, who had never lost hope, found herself in the very front row. For more posts by and about Omar and h

    Today's book excerpt comes from  Weekly Soul: Fifty-two Meditations on Meaningful, Joyful, and Peaceful Living   by Frederic Craigie . INTRODUCTION   In August, 2004, my friend and psychologist colleague Peter Flournoy, Ph.D., died of cancer at the age of 45. Peter was a remarkable person, an energetic professional, and a gentle soul. He experienced his cancer as a blessing that taught him more about life than he otherwise would have understood. He packed a lot into the last couple of years of his life, ice climbing several times and sea kayaking to Monhegan Island (ten miles off the Maine coast—not for the faint of heart) a month before his death. Peter was also excited about his spiritual life, which was informed particularly by Buddhist philosophy and practice in his last years. His memorial service took place on a glorious summer day. We who attended all received a card with a favorite meditative image of Peter’s and his words:   Life has taught me not to grasp and hold but

Excerpt from  Understanding the People around You  (Filatova) -  Preface The  modern man is a communi c a to r. Ev er y day w e come in con t act with dozens, sometimes e v en hundreds of peop l e, from our friends to comp l e te stran g ers. T he eff ici en cy of our bus i ness, as w e ll as our social au th ori ty , l eisure sa tis f acti on, comfor t and relaxation at home depend on our ability to communicate with business partners, coll ea g ues, friends, rela tiv es and ju st casual acquaintances. I w ou l d e v en pre- fer to say «the ar t of communica t ion» instead of «abili ty to communica t e», be c ause true communi c a t ion is a crea tiv e act ra th er than a craf t skill. O ne c an master rules of co ur tesy , bu t th e y are no t enou g h to understand peop l e ’ s mo tivati on, to predict th e i r reaction to our words and deeds. T oo often w e presume tha t