Dr. Erica Brown is a writer and educator in the DC area, where she lives with her husband, four children and two dogs. Her forthcoming book is Happier Endings: Overcoming the Fear of Death.
How can we help ourselves and others handle mistakes and humiliation so it doesn't have life-threatening consequences? We need to learn something from the Australian radio prank that cost a nurse her life.
What can dying parents leave their children as their most important, lasting gift? Words. Words of love. Words of advice. Words of encouragment. Words of meaning.
When we fall prey to perfectionism, we think we’re honorably aspiring to be our very best, but often we’re really just setting ourselves up for failure, as perfection is impossible and its pursuit inevitably backfires.