My six-year-old son started playing Little League last year. Watching these young athletes trying to learn the skills to catch, throw, and bat made me realize how difficult those skills are. When a new Little Leaguer actually caught a ball, they were often surprised they actually did it. Then they didn’t want to throw it to someone else and risk them not catching the ball. … Continue reading Doing the Right Thing: A Great Baseball Story
A few weeks after we adopted our crested gecko, Rusty, we went on vacation. I left instructions for the pet sitter on how to feed and water him. But he texted a couple of days after we’d left saying that he didn’t think Rusty was moving. In fact, he hadn’t seen him move in the enclosure for more than a day. Right as we were … Continue reading Lessons from Vacations: The Importance of Sharing
This past weekend, my five-year-old son and I were looking at the Guiness Book of World Records. It’d been about 6 weeks since we’d last picked it up. When we came to the woman with the world’s longest fingernails, he giggled and said, “How does she wipe her bum?” Which is the joke I made the last time we were thumbing through the book. Then … Continue reading Words to Remember
I saw this sign pinned to a board at my massage therapist’s office: It made me think of intentions. If I resolved to be the most self-interested jackass I could be, would anyone doubt that I could meet that goal? Don’t answer that- it’s a rhetorical question! But if I stated my intentions on being consistently kind, I think it’d come across as Pollyana-ish. I’d … Continue reading The Intention To Be Kind
The other day I pushed my double running stroller up the hill near our house and it spoke to me. The stroller, that is, not the hill. Although with the steep inclines in Seattle, they’ve spoken to me in other ways. I was taking the empty stroller to the second-hand shop in our neighborhood so this was our last walk together. With my hands on … Continue reading Oh the Stories You’ll Tell
When I recently saw Moana 2, there was one line that jumped off the screen and screamed to me. “For some things we never feel ready.” My nine-year-old daughter was sitting next to me and asked why I was writing that down. Funny because she was one of the things I wasn’t quite ready for. I’d chosen to become a single mom at age 46, … Continue reading We Never Feel Ready
Almost 20 years ago I participated in a climb on Mt. Whitney in the winter. Mt. Whitney is the highest point in the lower 48 of the United States, at 14,505 feet, and it is a pretty straightforward climb in the summer. But when you climb it in the winter and add the snow, the inaccessibility of the roads to the higher parking lots, and … Continue reading The Case for Not Slogging it Out
A couple of weeks ago, an email popped into my inbox with tips on having productive conversations about climate change. In an increasingly divided world, where the need to be right puts relationships with others at risk, the email was an excellent reminder of the importance of seeking to understand different points of view in all areas of life. The email, from The Carbon Almanac, … Continue reading Tips for Productive Conversations
My one-year-old puppy-in-a-big-dog-body, Cooper, likes to steal stuff. Shoes and socks mostly, but he’s not above nabbing a pair of underwear or a blanket. It’s his invitation to play. He grabs the contraband, backs up a foot or two so he can maintain eye contact but also have enough of a head start and then dares you to pursue him. Of course, I tell my … Continue reading An Invitation to Play
A couple of weeks ago, I read two posts providing very distinct insights on generational differences. This led me to consider how the assumptions we make can get in the way of the intergenerational cooperation that could benefit us all. The first post was from Pete Springer who shared a story of a lovely friendship with an older lady he met while volunteering in a … Continue reading Fostering Intergenerational Cooperation
I think I’ve been using the word “hope” wrong. I often use it interchangeably with “wish.” As in, “I hope you have a safe trip.” Researcher and author, Brené Brown, describes hope as a cognitive process: “But hope is not what most of us think it is. It’s not a warm, fuzzy emotion that fills us with a sense of possibility. Hope is a way … Continue reading The Cognitive Process Called Hope
Over the weekend, I attended a talk by Jeremy Nobel, author of Project UnLonely. Dr. Nobel discussed why we need to be concerned about the increase in loneliness and disconnection we are seeing in our world today. He also offered some possible solutions to the loneliness crisis. Being Alone vs. Being Lonely Dr. Nobel started his talk by showing us a picture similar to the … Continue reading Do We Have a Loneliness Crisis?
My brother introduced me to a new phrase when were talking a few months ago about Dutch Bros Coffee. Dutch Bros is a West Coast company that he described as “an overnight sensation thirty years in the making.” I asked for clarification. My brother said that Dutch Bros is a darling of Wall Street since this went public at the end of 2021. But they’d … Continue reading Years In The Making
In the relentless pursuit of success, many of us find ourselves teetering on the edge of a precarious precipice—the allure of workaholism. It’s a tale as old as time, one where ambition and dedication collide with the harsh realities of health, relationships, and overall well-being. Let’s delve deeper into the perils that await those who succumb to workaholism. The Health Paradox At first glance, the … Continue reading Workaholism -Balancing Ambition and Well-being
I was standing frozen on the front on my yoga mat this morning. I do a series of seven sequences of about 14 poses each. It only takes me about 15 minutes but it’s amazing how often I unroll the mat, step into position, and find that I don’t want to begin. I know that the sixth sequence with side plank pose is the hardest … Continue reading Just Start
Several years ago, a friend of mine went to climb Kilimanjaro with her then boyfriend. She was in her early forties, about 5 feet tall, and about 100 pounds. He was 6’3” tall and probably 250 pounds. Because she had climbing experience and he didn’t, she’d did as much as she could to help him prepare. She worked out with him. She helped him with … Continue reading What Do You Do When Things Get Hard?
Last week, my younger daughter left on an extended work trip, leaving us with no kids at home for the first time in almost 24 years. This prompted me to do some reading and thinking about empty nest syndrome. As I usually do in these situations, I made a list of practical ways to cope with what can be a challenging time for many parents. … Continue reading Coping With Empty Nest Syndrome
Have you ever browsed through buy nothing or free-cycle listings? The posts for items people are giving away for free are delightfully creative. Recently, a friend turned me on to them and the micro-stories were so intriguing. Here are some examples: Example #1: I can get rid of it now that the son-of-a-b!tch is gone. Example #2: I should have known that I’d never use … Continue reading Micro-Stories
The mom of one of my dearest friends passed away recently. I’ve known this family for almost 50 years, so she was like a second mom to me as well. Because her death was expected, I’d been dancing with grief for a couple of weeks before it actually happened. But even so, when I heard the news, a heaviness settled onto me. It was sadness … Continue reading The Therapeutic Effect of Stringing Some Words Together
The last time I took a new job I wasn’t a writer. Well, I wrote white papers and technical manuals so I could put pen to paper. But I didn’t have a personal writing practice. But four months into a new job and I’m surprised how much creativity is a part of my job. Sheesh, that sounded dry. Bear with me – I think I’m … Continue reading Creativity as a Job Skill
