What sort of environment suits you? Do you function better in tranquil surroundings or do you thrive in commotion with a side serving of chaos? Are you academically oriented or athletic? Perhaps creativity is your thing, or you need a little of all of the above? Each of us prefers certain conditions and feels energized […]
Honor Among Thieves
He didn’t ask for anything in writing, though I anticipated he might. We’d had a running disagreement over a tree, the need for it to come down, the fact that it sat just over the line on my property but was threatening his. Then there was the financial issue – the real crux of the […]
Excess
What we value… in abundance.
54-Year Old Writer, 86-Year Old Painter, 31-Year Old Cutie: Action Update
Some months back, after reading Barbara Hannah Grufferman’s column on women using their anger to good ends, I wrote a post daring you – and myself – to stand up and speak out when faced with social injustice. And I dared you to do more than that. To pick something, and act on it. I’ve […]
Sometimes the Gods Smile
When Kelly Miller called me and was cryptic about the reason, I was concerned. Almost as quickly as she began to speak, she excused herself and said she’d get back to me. Later that evening, her sister Ashley called. She wasn’t cryptic. She wanted to say hello, and to let me know that Medicaid was […]
Do Contradictions Confuse You?
Contradictions… The spice of life.
Best Gifts Ever
Shopping season? Mais oui! Yes, I realize we’re still nibbling our turkey leftovers, but I admit I’m contemplating the giving season. I’ve surrendered to a modest amount of virtual shopping in the past days, and this morning I was recalling the best gifts ever. Naturally, I have a few items snow-shoeing their way through my […]
Fiddling
He considered himself a fiddler, a military man, and I knew him as a wonderful storyteller. His passion for life was contagious, but his greatest passion was for music. For some reason, I’ve been thinking about my grandfather this weekend. Perhaps it’s because I’m planning on fiddling around, just a little. ‘Tis the season to […]
Gratitude is Great, But THEN What?
Yesterday many of us expressed our gratitude – some with family, some with friends, and others, on their own and in their own way. But what comes after the gratitude? Are you still digesting your meal, and the midnight snack that you couldn’t resist before bed? Are you running to the stores in pursuit of […]
Feisty, Flirty, and Fifty (Something)
Attitude is everything? Not really. But it helps.