It was one of the greatest moments of my life; it gave me the confidence to tackle the next goal. My ancient counterpart wasn’t so lucky.

A lot of attention is paid when the choices one makes are noticeably different from the rest of the pack.

I don’t remember my first actual meeting with Eleanor, but I do remember finding out she was gay.

At what cost have we invited these tools into our lives?

But what if it were random instead? Might it shed some much needed light on the rat race that is getting into college?

After we’re long gone, our food and, with it, the spirit of our homes will live on through our recipes.

“Lean In” pushes women to work full-time in high-powered jobs, even through motherhood. But it seems to willfully disregard one glaring fact: A great many of us don’t want to.

The debate over same-sex marriage isn’t ending. It’s morphing into a fight over religious freedom, as secular businesses and individuals claim constitutional rights to discriminate against gays.

As a member of the human race, I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished. Your domesticated little wolf shouldn’t get to skip the line just because you let them sleep inside.

If they do not find meaningful ways to connect with Millennials, the largest generation in our nation’s history, neither institution will look the same in 20 years.

This generation throws more look-at-me parties than there are spellings of Caitlin.

SJP, she who made Monolo Blahnik a household name, blames inexpensive high heels for her podiatric woes. Anita Diamant isn’t buying it.

Catholics and non-Catholics alike have suffered a great deal in the last few decades because clergy did not listen thoughtfully, and humbly, to the flock.

The Boston-New York pontifical pennant race is over. Can we go back to bickering about baseball now?

The Steubenville video, tweets, and Instagram images give us a rare window into rape, and what we find makes the cultural myths that serve to silence victims and excuse perpetrators far more difficult to sustain.

Caryl Rivers’ brother – like so many others — never recovered. The selection of a new pope presents a rare opportunity for the Church to try to cleanse itself.

This what so many autism parents like me believe about our own children, but we forget. We forget it every single day, because we see so little of the evidence we need.

The debate over same-sex marriage isn’t ending. It’s morphing into a fight over religious freedom, as secular businesses and individuals claim constitutional rights to discriminate against gays.

Clearing out the mountain of blue-collar furnishings and middle-class flotsam that came to represent four decades of family memories.

As I hurtled into motherhood, the boundaries of being an adult child shifted, too. My parents needed more, and I had a tiny newborn who needed — and deserved — everything.

Just amble by a neighborhood ballpark on a muggy summer night. You’ll hear it: ritualized incantations of unwavering support. Together they create a chorus of positivity.

Growing up in Utah as an American of Japanese descent, I searched for role models — athletes, movie or television stars, pop singers — who I could identify with and who looked like me and my family.

How to account for tens of thousands of people across the country preparing to join a religion battered by a relentless pedophile catastrophe?

An expression of anger or anguish on social media is like a single, errant bullet in a crowd, alerting most, grazing some, but impacting nobody in particular.

Pop superstar Katy Perry becomes the latest young woman to carefully pre-qualify a feminist statement with a disavowal of the label itself. Why are so many women reluctant to embrace the feminist mantle?

In the competing narratives of cowardice and courage emerging from the Boston Marathon bombings, perhaps none is as powerful as the story of Carlos Arredondo.

Getting ready to drop your progeny off at the college of his/her choosing? Commentator Sharon Brody offers some helpful hints to guide you through a smooth and dignified delivery.

Despite greater awareness about the risks of concussions and other brain injuries – football remains as popular as ever. But as the 2012 NFL season gets underway this week, commentator Bill Littlefield explores the consequences of our national obsession.

As another Movember draws to a close, thousands of mustachioed do-gooders are confronted with the perennial question: To shave or not to shave?

The Steubenville video, tweets, and Instagram images give us a rare window into rape, and what we find makes the cultural myths that serve to silence victims and excuse perpetrators far more difficult to sustain.

Reconsidering the possibilities and benefits of a uniform.

What will it take for the spirit of the “We Are One Boston” signs along the road to take permanent root in the region?

It was one of the greatest moments of my life; it gave me the confidence to tackle the next goal. My ancient counterpart wasn’t so lucky.

Catholics and non-Catholics alike have suffered a great deal in the last few decades because clergy did not listen thoughtfully, and humbly, to the flock.

Once our basic needs are met, what do we value most? The answer is surprisingly similar across the globe.

Feeling a little tense? Yes, Thanksgiving can do that to you. Sharon Brody offers that there are at least six redeeming features of, as she calls it, the “harvest wingding.”

Each interaction forces me to look at who I am, to recalibrate an eighth of an inch and reassess myself in tiny, almost imperceptible ways.

Too often we fear uttering these words, convinced that doing so will diminish us, will undermine our status and block our advancement.

The media seems enthralled by the narrative that millennials just won’t grow up. But beyond the ever-shifting stereotypes about “kids these days,” there’s not much evidence to suggest the current crop of 20-somethings are all that different from their predecessors.

Thanks to the likes of Lady Gaga and “Fifty Shades of Grey,” S&M is making a comeback — but at what cost? Caryl Rivers examines the effects.

Newspapers don’t need any more bad news. Unfortunately, thanks to a small and obscure federal agency, they just got some. Ed Fouhy breaks down the latest blow in their struggle for survival and asks, whither Boston journalism?

For the women whose work with the poor and marginalized has brought criticism from the Vatican, parochial-school graduate Marianne Leone has one thing to say: Preach it, Sister.

Chef Joanne Chang doesn’t consider herself a celebrity — but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t played one on TV. Still, the reluctant star wonders whether the rise of the “celebrity chef” is doing more harm than good.

Perhaps nothing is more revealing than the home we keep. The art, the books, even the dish towels we choose can be very telling. But, asks Cheryl Katz, what happens when everyone has exactly the same stuff?

A new study is tarnishing the public perception of organic food. But not so fast, says commentator Louisa Kasdon. She defends organic products and places the movement in a larger context.

Neil Armstrong could have capitalized immeasurably on being the first man to walk on the moon, but he never did. Commentator E.M. Swift – who knew the reluctant hero – reflects.

Despite greater awareness about the risks of concussions and other brain injuries – football remains as popular as ever. But as the 2012 NFL season gets underway this week, commentator Bill Littlefield explores the consequences of our national obsession.

After graduation, a new place will, and should, beckon. Eileen McNamara says it’s not until the final return to college, that our children really leave home.

Getting ready to drop your progeny off at the college of his/her choosing? Commentator Sharon Brody offers some helpful hints to guide you through a smooth and dignified delivery.

Not just for kids, the zoo has important lessons for us all. A recent trip to the London Zoo got author Margot Livesey thinking about the resilience of the animal kingdom.

For many writers, Ray Bradbury was the spiritual father they always wished they’d had. Alice Hoffman pays tribute to the late author, who would have been 92 on Aug. 22.

Living and working in small spaces. Some find it claustrophobic, but Boston-based designer Cheryl Katz says — it gets us closer to what we hold most dear.

Alice Hoffman on why the development of “fictional” characters often tells us more about the writer — than the character.