How long?

They usually answer my question, “What do you do?” with, “I’m just a plumber,”

“If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else

Why not ask others who know you well what they think your greatest spiritual need is?

Marital happiness is far more important than anything else in determining personal well-being. If you have a successful marriage, it doesn’t matter how many professional setbacks you endure, you will be reasonably happy. If you have an unsuccessful marriage, it doesn’t matter how many career triumphs you record, you will remain significantly

the mere presence of a phone on a table between them or in the periphery of their vision changes both what they talk about and the degree of connection they feel. . . .

although there are some things in my drainers list that I can work to avoid or minimize, there are others that I can’t and don’t want to avoid or minimize—they are important parts of my job and calling. I list them, not to say, “I wish I didn’t have to do this,” but to remind myself that I need to compensate for the drain.

One way to ease the tension that slowly builds and stretches our bodies, nerves, minds, and souls is to schedule “alone time” every three months or so, maybe a full-day or a half-day retreat. In a survey of solitude studies, Leon Neyfakh of the The Boston Globe explained that although many of us don’t feel happy when alone, solitude results in

If I get a good seven to eight hours of sleep each night, I come