Just the other day I had a dinner date booked with a friend whom I had not seen for some time. My work day had been a full one, and to be frank I was feeling rather distracted and overwhelmed as I rushed to meet my friend for dinner.

One part of me was thinking I should have stayed at work and finished the project I was working on, while the other part of me was yearning to return to my house and get into my pajamas after a long day. I was 15 minutes late and arrived slightly flustered, but once I saw my friend’s warm smiling face greeting me and her hand waving to me over the table, my mood shifted.

Once autumn arrives we feel the shift of the season and begin to plan our Thanksgiving dinners. The gourds and pumpkins are on display at the grocery store, and thoughts of family dinners with pie for dessert begin to fill our minds — soon to fill our stomachs as well.

Winter is coming. Traditionally this has been the time of year where people gather with their loved ones and celebrate the bounty of the harvest. This is a season for thanks and gratitude — but how do we achieve gratitude and weave this into our lives all year long and not just for one turkey-filled weekend?

If you want a healthy life you are going to have to keep moving. Movement is just as important for the mind as it is for the body. As a Child and Family Therapist I attempt to assist people when they get stuck, and frankly sometimes they need a bit of a kick in the backside to get them going.

Recently a successful professional couple came to my office as they were concerned about their son. They could not get him to do anything, and they were worried he might be depressed. They could not get him to clean his room, or go to school or put his dishes in the dishwasher. Initially I thought they were describing their teenage son, but it turned out that their son (let’s call him Jason) was 24 not 15. Jason was 24 and still loving in his parent’s basement without a job or enrollment in school. Before we dig deeper into the situation with Jason let’s look at the first principle of the MORE philosophy which is “Movement.”

As a Family therapist and Parent Educator I have always felt conflicted when people said their purpose in life was their children. I recall a night many years ago before I had children, when we were invited to dinner at a friend’s home and were enjoying some after-dinner conversation.

I always love to play “table games” with people where we ask questions and have conversations at the dinner table. I asked the couple we were visiting what they felt their prime purpose in the world was. My friends had two children aged five and seven at the time, and my one friend immediately replied that her purpose in the world was her children. I struggled with this answer.

It is natural for a parent to have hopes, dreams and aspirations for their children. We want so many things for them, and there isn’t much we would not do in order to give them the best in life.

We want them to be happy, to develop their talents, to use their intelligence and to experience joy and success in their lives. We want the best for them, but sometimes all of this wanting gets in the way of their developing.