Cathy Tompkins

It’s humbling to consider what’s happening in the brain of an infant. Even before birth, a fetus is shaped by its mother’s rhythms—walking, sleeping, talking—as well as her emotions and the substances she ingests, from caffeine to sedatives. These experiences can cause obvious outcomes like neonatal withdrawal, but also subtler, long-term neurological changes. Parents who... Read More

Tears 101 I’ve mentioned before the value of daily meditation. Well, this morning found me looking for a guided meditation that promised a less self-destructive dopamine hit than I’d been enjoying all week. I’ve been getting waaay too much this week by eating waaay too many sweets while wallowing in grief. I was desperate for... Read More

Whose Fault Is It? My 11-year-old granddaughter urgently asked me to take her to get two cocoas before she left for an event Saturday. Up here in Flagstaff, there were about 6 inches of snow on the ground. It was cold! When I declined to leave the warmth of my house and the project I... Read More