Imagine: you’re at a meeting where you present an idea, and no one comments on it—you only hear “crickets” . . . until a few minutes later when someone else restates the same idea as if it were his own, and everyone chimes in about this other person’s great idea. How often have you witnessed this? Has this happened to you?

A story on NPR this winter stopped me in my tracks. It was a feature about Somali high school students in Lewiston Maine. Before you turn away . . . this is not a political story.

Do you have trouble asking for help? Would you rather soldier on, than admit that you are struggling? Do you tough it out?

I pondered this a couple of weeks ago as I slid down an icy slope in the woods. Those of you who hate the cold are likely wondering what I was doing there in the first place. What you may not appreciate is that winter hiking is the best! The secret is in being prepared, and knowing what to carry.

I can’t believe I’m writing this. I hate football. I’m saddened by the physical damage it inflicts on its players, and I don’t understand it—in spite of repeated attempts by several old boyfriends and my sister, a fervent fan­, to explain the logic and language of the game. Even though I live in Boston—a very easy place to fall in love with football—I’ve never found a way into its magic, until this year’s Super Bowl.

Clutter. I don’t know about you, but I’m constantly fighting a losing battle with clutter: my husband and I have too much stuff, too little room, too little time to deal with it—and most significantly—our clutter has an insidious way of creeping up on us.

I haven’t done a major clutter purge in more than 15 years. I know exactly how long it’s been, because the last time I made the leap to clear the clutter, my whole life changed.