I’ve always turned down invitations to join book clubs. Not because I don’t see the value in them and definitely not because I didn’t like the people inviting me, but because I always seem to have stacks of books of my own to read. Lately, though, I’ve found myself in three book groups. It so...
Well, I knew it might happen someday. People ask me all the time how I can come up with enough content for a weekly blog. Don’t I ever get stuck? Up until now, I’ve been able to smugly reply, “No, I never get stuck. I think that’s because when I started this blog, I didn’t...
I’m heading into week four of isolation during this coronavirus pandemic. My days consist of a 24/7 cycle of working, exercising, and connecting with friends and family. I haven’t talked this much on the phone since I was a teenager. I’d thought I would take more opportunities during this “downtime” to read books or go...
Been watching the e-mails roll in today: all events cancelled, Spring Break extended, colleges going to online learning, restaurants limiting the number of patrons they serve, retailers encouraging online purchases, grocery stores reporting empty shelves, churches stopping their Sunday services. There doesn’t seem to be a single area of our lives that’s not currently affected...
We parents learn so much from our children. This week, I’m feeling inspired by my daughter who, when she was in college, created a list she called her “Small Life Goals.” Oh, she had her big life goals that had to do with career and family and lifestyle, etc., but her small life goals were...
Well, this is interesting, I’ve noticed an influx lately in books and podcasts and TED Talks geared toward enabling introverts to feel their self-worth and helping them maneuver in an “extrovert world.” Out of curiosity, I clicked over to Amazon and did a search in books for the word “introvert,” and dozens of titles came...
I have a flash drive that is shaped like Speedy Gonzales. The other day, I was conducting a school visit and one of the students said, “What is that?” “This?” I said. “It’s Speedy Gonzales. Don’t you recognize him?” He did not. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that a 21st century kid wouldn’t recognize...
My daughter did something very sweet this year. She asked all of her parents, siblings, grandparents, and aunts to tell her the names of their favorite books. Then she started to read those books and opened conversations with each relative about the story. If you really want to get to know someone, finding out more...
I heard reference to a study that said many of us spend 70-80% of our waking hours stressing about something. We stress about our jobs, our families, our health, our friendships, traffic, the environment, climate change, gun violence, world conflicts, upcoming elections, and so much more. And there is no longer a cultural attitude toward...
The other day, a group of writer friends and I were talking. It seems for weeks now, none of us have felt very motivated. We’re not behaving like our usual prolific, proactive, hard-working selves. That’s not to say we’re missing deadlines or shrugging off obligations – Heaven forbid – but we haven’t felt especially ambitious...