You Bet I’m Proud

Whenever I run into anyone I haven’t seen in a while they ask, “Have you written any new books lately?” “No,” I say. “But I’m still writing my weekly blog.” Most people look a bit disappointed. I guess a blog is nowhere near as impressive or exciting as a book. Or is it? Three days...

Woe Is Me

There have been times in human history when the term “Woe is me” was actually stated in seriousness by people who were sad or overly challenged. In modern usage, though, it is said in a more dramatic, humorous way, and sometime with a hint of irony: “I won front row tickets to the concert Saturday...

Just Let Me Do My Work

The other night I had a dream I was working on something creative, and a small group of people gathered around me. They kept saying things like, “Can you explain what you’re doing?” and “Are you getting paid for that?” and “What do you really do for work?” I told them that, while it wasn’t...

Changed for Good

The musical, Wicked, is celebrating its 20th year on Broadway. It takes place in The Land of Oz, before the arrival of Dorothy, and tells the story of two unlikely friends, Elphaba and Galinda, who later become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch. So, I pulled up my favorite songs...

Living the Question

On a recent trip to New York, my husband and I visited the Morgan Library. The library’s permanent collection includes pages from a Mozart symphony dated 1782, a Rubens’ drawing circa 1613, and a Gutenberg bible dated 1454. As we and many other visitors wandered through J. P. Morgan’s study and library it occurred to...