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Opinion

Generations: The Illusion of Personal Control

July 24, 2026
Our bodies belong to us, yet mostly they are strangers. They drop bad news when they feel like dropping it and rarely let us know too much beforehand. They never ask. The Buddhists don’t talk so much about “my body” as they…

Generations: Calm and Purpose Among the Benton Stacks

June 29, 2026
On a recent Saturday, I was finally able to resume my favorite volunteer activity: working at the E.C. Benton Library. People may wonder why I would spend three precious hours of my Saturday afternoon doing volunteer work, but I honestly can’t imagine…

The Tree That Gave Linnaeus His Name

June 22, 2026
Here’s a tree for you. It has heart-shaped leaves, is easy to grow in full sun to part shade across a range of soil conditions, and is somewhat drought-tolerant. In June, copious small, yellow, sweet-smelling flowers blanket the tree, attracting so many…

Generations: What I Learned Digging in the Dirt

June 16, 2026
Last summer, I wrote a column about attempting to transform my weedy backyard into a beautiful garden. This summer, I have a pretty garden bed with more flowers than weeds and plant names like buddleia roll off my tongue. Here are the…

Ask Lisa: The Kids are Launched, Their Stuff Remains Behind

June 12, 2026
Becoming empty-nesters as your children move out into the world is emotionally complicated, but it also creates a practical challenge, one that might involve Marie Kondo more than Dr. Phil. Specifically: what do you do with all their stuff? When my children…

Generations: The Birth of a Boston Sports Fan

June 9, 2026
Saying the Red Sox are off to a slow start to the 2026 season is an understatement. As I write this, they just suffered their 27th loss in 46 games. Yet somehow, I still find myself clicking on another highlight video during…

Generations: The Hidden Curriculum of High School

June 4, 2026
When I look back at my junior year of high school, I think not only of my experiences with friends, my grades, and my favorite activities, but also of what I’ve learned along the way. Although school is mainly designed to teach…

Garden Gems: There’s Something About Trillium

May 26, 2026
A few weeks back, I got an email from Native Plant Trust with the breathless subject line, “Trillium week begins this Sunday!” It went on to say, “Trillium Week at Garden in the Woods is just around the corner! Join us for…

Generations: In Praise of Life’s Important Little Rituals

May 24, 2026
I write this column in the throes of “Maycember,” that hectic time of year when every minute of every day feels spoken for. If you’re a parent of school-age children, you’ve got concerts, plays, sporting events, award ceremonies, and graduations. Here in…

Ask Lisa: Understanding Self-Harm

May 4, 2026
This week’s question centers around youth engaging in self-harm. A parent writes: I watched one of your recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey presentations and was taken aback by the data around self-harm: 80 middle and 111 high schoolers are hurting themselves, on…
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