Author Archives: Andy Smallman

A friend recently told me this story about the important role children play in her and her husband’s lives. She said: “For the last two and a half years I have watched two of our neighbor children, ages 7 and 5 now, who have a heavy, busy schedule as both parents work full time. TheirContinue reading “Connecting Elders & Youth”

Speaking of hope, I hope you all are feeling healthy and doing your part to bring positivity to the spaces you inhabit. Every positive action contributes to the uplifting energy we all need, now more than ever. With that in mind, one of my favorite stories from the pandemic is this one about how theContinue reading “Speaking of Hope, Positivity & Creativity”

My graduate work is specific to human development and my personal interest is specific to what helps people thrive. I’ve long been drawn to the work of developmental psychologist James Marcia who provided me (and others) a deeper view of Erik Erikson’s theory of human development specific to adolescents. Marcia defines achievement as taking placeContinue reading “Thrive Through Exploring”

Not too long ago I was talking to a young person about managing anger and suggested he experiment with what it would be like to be grateful for his anger and other so-called negative emotions. I told him that considering this concept when he’s calm might help him learn how to control these emotions whenContinue reading “On Anger & Self-Acceptance”

As we progress through the global pandemic, I’m working to complete small acts of kindness and encouraging others to do the same. When I make my rare trips to the grocery store, I engage with the checker and the bagger. At home, I make extra effort to keep the house clean. It’s about keeping thingsContinue reading “It’s Butterfly Awareness”

Here’s an exercise intended to be fairly simple but you may find it hard to do. It begins by taking time to consider the miraculous in everyday things. If you get a cut, how is that it can heal? In biting into a fresh apple, how is it that it was grown? In smelling aContinue reading “Be Awed By Life”

A big part of living a life that keeps you vibrant and moving forward as you age is tapping into personal sources of renewable energy. By that, I mean engaging in actions and material goods positively, causing your source of energy to expand naturally without taking anything away from something else. The energy I’m talkingContinue reading “Positively Engaging in Life’s Changes Keeps You Vibrant”

For 2010-11 school year, my wife, Melinda Shaw, and I were granted a sabbatical from the Puget Sound Community School (PSCS), the unique middle & high school in Seattle we had co-founded in 1994. We chose to use the time away from the school to live in France with our two daughters, Chloe and Ella,Continue reading “In the Beginning, the World Was Made of Light”

What’s the difference between being courteous and being kind? For the sake of simplicity, I define being courteous as a social custom we’re taught. It comes with an expectation of being treated with courtesy. Same with using good manners and doing what is expected of us. For my purposes, kindness is something else. Over theContinue reading “On Kindness”

Are you familiar with the legend of the Lamed-vavnik, 36 righteous people in the world whose job it is to carry the weight of human suffering? No one knows who they are, including the Lamed-vavnik themselves. Not knowing makes it important for all of us to behave as if WE might be one of theContinue reading “Treat Everyone with Compassion”