Did you ever have a teacher or professor who changed your life? Or at the very least, believed in you just when you needed it most? I can remember several, in high school and college mostly, men and women who fed my hunger to learn, and allowed me the space to dream. I never forgot […]
What ISN’T in your wallet?
Some particularly playful writers in the neighborhood have been exposing themselves of late. Now, now. Keep your pants on. Exposing themselves by taking us on a tour of their respective billfolds, wallets and purses. First there was the slow and meticulous reveal at The Critical Path, followed by Nicki’s look at Nicki’s Nook. This glimpse […]
Haiti, Disaster Relief, Celebrity Giving
This week’s devastating earthquake in Haiti makes our day-to-day troubles seem trivial, or even irrelevant. We may continue with “life as usual” though most of us wonder what we can do to help. So, we contribute what we can to the American Red Cross or other disaster relief funds. As with all catastrophic events, the […]
Are you wasting your time?
If work or study is unpaid, do we consider it a waste of time?
Battle Fatigue & Holiday Headaches
I’m feeling war weary, though I won a battle recently – and to me it was gargantuan. Yep. Moving my site! It was also symbolic, because if I could win one battle, maybe I could win one more. And I have many battles ahead. Battle fatigue and holiday headaches I’m certainly not alone in having […]
A mouse in the house
There’s a mouse in my house. I’ve been fretting and whimpering about it for days, and he (or she) is growing more audacious with every passing hour. Yes, I was distressed last week as I heard something making noises in what I thought was a vent above the the stove. I imagined a squirrel or […]
I Cannot Pretend Today
There are betrayals of flesh and blood and they are the worst betrayals. I am not alright: My sleeping is pocked and marred again and not by dreams but by insufficiency. The result is a veil that positions itself between my deepest thinking self and the formation of words, the processing of numbers and their […]
Generosity: More than a Time of Year
Have you started getting those solicitation letters from your Alma Mater? Or from a variety of charitable organizations asking you for money? It’s that time of year – the season of giving – in more ways than one. Philanthropy Why do universities, museums, research organizations, health care facilities and others stuff your mailbox this time […]
The restorative powers of sleep. (Not.)
Sleep, with all its remarkable restorative powers – to renew, to recharge, to dream. Then we wake refreshed, and begin a new day. No. There are no restorative powers of sleep for me, only restless legs, flailing about, waking repeatedly, disturbing dreams. The morning. Too soon. A knock on my door. It is not yet […]
Is Your Comfort Zone Holding You Back?
Do we allow our comfort zones to hold us back to our detriment? When we face empty nest after long years of single parenting, will we have the courage to make big changes?