I really enjoyed a New Year’s-based column by Kathleen Parker, a long-time (23 years) syndicated columnist at The Washington Post. Her wise words urge us to “Eat, Pray, Love. Sort of. Call it EPL 2.0: Eat less, pray in private, love because. . .what’s the alternative?”

Parker encourages us to eat less in order to stay more healthy. If we do that, we can avoid the “death panels” (a.k.a. limits on what can be done to forestall death using expensive and invasive modern medicine techniques) proposed under the new health-care system. By eating less (by shopping around the perimeters of the grocery store for healthy[ier] foods and limiting the intake of sugar, for example) we avoid getting fat, which can lead to health problems such as diabetes and heart disease.

Next Parker intones us to “pray quietly.” Don’t try to convert others, “invade countries, or shed infidels of their heads” in the name of religion.

Finally, “love,” which is all about “giving.” Parker defines “giving” much the way I do: “Listening. Sparing time. Not interrupting. Holding that thought. Leaving the last drop. Staying home. Turning it off, whatever it is. Making eye contact. Picking it up. Paying attention. Waiting.”