“God, she’s trashy.” Stop. That’s a terrible thing to say. Shaking the head. Clucking the tongue. Pursing the lips. It’s all unconscious – this physical manifestation of disapproval. And something deeper. Anger. No, more than anger. Outrage. “Well it’s true. She bad mouths everyone. You’d think she’d realize how classless it is. And people pay […]
Teaching The Teacher In All Of Us
In my marketing days, I was taught to present the benefits of the product, service, or idea I represented. It may be effective in the short-term to utilize scare tactics, but for the sake of long-term success, it’s important to address genuine needs with real solutions. And you’d be wise to explain why and how […]
Why “Learning” May Be Nuts
I am a proponent of learning in all its forms: I examine the past to learn from it, I believe in introspection to encourage positive change, I look forward as well as outward, so I may shape the present to achieve a desired future. I acquire knowledge for its own sake. I acquire knowledge so […]
Circling
I don’t want to write today. I don’t want to read, to research, to converse, to put on a happy face. I don’t want to shower and dress. I don’t want to pace my rooms, to walk my neighborhood, to clean another goddamn pile, to open the door to the fridge and slam it shut, […]
Timeless
The Little Black Dress. The perfect string of pearls. The chilled champagne in a fluted glass, raised in a toast. When it comes to fashion or style, though we want to know what’s in vogue right now, we designate certain looks and activities as timeless. They’re classics. We may also look to the arts – […]
Pausing At The Light
It takes planning, and a willingness to run the risk of inconvenience if the traffic patterns are off, or my back starts acting up. But a trip to the Farmer’s Market for all that food, glorious food? For the sensual pleasure of an abundance of organically raised produce, not to mention grass-fed beef and wild-caught […]
Why Reading This Doesn’t Matter a Damn
Every little thought. Every little detail. Every. Single. Word. Does it matter, really? What we say and why we say it? What we write and our motivations for doing so? Who’s reading? Who’s not reading? Why do we think that each statement or question we put to ourselves is of interest to anyone else? Why […]
That Sinking Feeling
You know that feeling when you have a long, detailed list of tasks to accomplish, and you haven’t checked off a single one? You know that feeling when every time you start to sort through a pile of papers and files, you encounter something that triggers a reverie, a malevolent memory, and subsequent disappearance into […]
Labor Day? No Mood For Play
You’re dashing through Kroger and stuck in the check-out line, you’re tapping your foot as your eyes settle on headlines in the news stand, you’re trying to look away but the words are impossible to ignore. You know the ones – those that blare the sluggish (dare we say, nonexistent) job growth during the […]
Gone Fishing
Once, I was forced to put a wiggly worm onto a pointy hook and lower the line into a body of water. I didn’t much care for that activity, though sitting on the side of a river bank (or European canal) is very restful, indeed. Might I try it, without the rod and reel? Once, […]