One afternoon I went to eat lunch at a restaurant alone. I sat and enjoyed my meal as I glanced out the window, happy to know I could soon exit the crowded space. After I finished, I waited for the check. The waitress came to the table and left me a sheet of paper instead of the bill. All it said was, “You don’t know me but today your meal is my way of sharing a kindness. Have a great day.”
In that moment I nearly wept. Who would take the time to offer such an unexpected gift?
Read MoreEverything you take in of the world runs through filters of your personal biases. As I read “The World According to Fannie Davis,” a #reallivesbookclub selection, I faced some of mine, including preconceptions about racism and how it manifests in society, the understanding of access to opportunity, and even the belief that one can channel good luck.
Read MoreThese two qualities, and the distinctions between them, were on my mind as I read “Queen Bess: Daredevil Aviator” by Doris L. Rich. The author details the story of Bessie Coleman, the first African American female aviator in the world, and the challenges she overcame to achieve this goal.
Read MoreOur client had albums upon albums of photos capturing his father’s life in the years he served as a World War II pilot (flying B-24s between 1943 and 1945).
Read MoreWith a nod to my writing hero Nora Ephron, I begin this post with the topic of titles and their value in propelling the content of a written piece. Nora knows this well, and her titles are always so catchy. I cite the titles of a few of her books as examples:
Read MoreStraight up I’ll admit that I don’t understand all the history of the conflict in Israel and Palestine. And while reading Seven Good Years by Etgar Keret, my ignorance of the region, the people and their past came into vivid focus. So, between reading the stories woven in, I made many internet searches to try to
Read MoreThink for a moment of a memorable meal. Who was there? What was served? And, most importantly, why is it so memorable? I bet you can come up with a story or two.
This was the premise for my longtime passion project: the podcast #thedeliciousstory.
Read MoreRadium Girls is a gripping chronicle of corporate greed and the young women, facing nearly impossible odds, who fight against it. The story begins in 1901 in Paris when we learn of the discovery of radium by Marie and Pierre Curie—a precious luminescent substance they’ve been studying. Fast forward 17 years to Newark, New Jersey, and the Radium Luminous Materials Corporation, where we meet the young women, ranging in ages from 15 to their late 20s. In the prime of their lives, they are
Read MoreEventually we all experience it, a slap-in-the face reminder about getting older. My first was 10 years ago when my car was stuck in the snow – nothing too deep, and I was rocking out of it. But a car pulled up abruptly and a young man jumped out: “sit tight sir, I’ll push you out!” Sir?
Read MoreIn this piece and others of the #channelinghistoryheros series, we strive to encourage you with your connection to the past. We are each part of the greater human story.
That means accepting our shared capacity to inflict pain and do insidious things. However, there is a flip side, too. Humans have the ability to create things, to seek knowledge, and to endeavor for worthy
Read MoreWithout a doubt, I would recommend One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson. It’s a good read I can just about guarantee you’ll enjoy. This Bryson book was our latest #reallivesbookclub selection, which I considered a hit. Bryson, whom I’ve read before (in books such as Thunderbolt Kid, Notes From A Small
Read MoreMonths ago the #reallivesbookclub read “Out Of The Darkness” by Eric A. Shelman and Stephen Lazoritz, M.D. which details the story of a child named Mary Ellen Wilson who was the victim of abuse during the Mid-1800s in the United States. Her situation—along with the commitment of Etta Angell Wheeler to step in and save her—eventually led to the creation of the Child Protection Movement.
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Sherry and I were talking about buying another car, and whether we can make it with one car these days. Maybe we’ll replace our older car in a few years, maybe not. Then we realized: that purchase could possibly be the last car we buy for our working careers. Time hurries on.
Read MorePoetry requires time, space, and effort. And, for me (and maybe for you, too), poetry is an elusive construct. Yet I want to understand the components and the structure! As an art form, poetry positively
Read MoreThere is power and influence in good storytelling. Learn the steps with this handy infographic by Content In Motion.
Read MoreAt age 6, I was given a book titled “A Book About You,” and inside were illustrations and questions designed to prompt my answers. How many windows are in your house? How many rooms? How many books? Draw a portrait of yourself.
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Art is for the artistically imbued…and for children. I stood by this limited belief about art for most of my life, mostly because of an experience with drawing I had in college which, for decades, turned me off of drawing and distorted my view of making art of any kind.
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If you sit a lot for work, and you’ve been sitting even more these days of quarantine, then this post is for you. Here I interview Jenene Armstrong of Healthfit Coaching LLC to get her expert advice. Jenene shares 5 basic stretches you can do anytime to give your body a
Read MoreYou’ve heard about the benefits of journaling and you like the idea, but you’ve not consistently put pen to paper. In fact, if you’re being honest, you’ve even started a journal—or several—and have the stack of them to prove it, but there are many blank pages and you never kept the habit.
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You know that moment when you experience that wave of relief? For example, when you misplace your phone or wallet, and then all of the sudden it appears. This week, we dive into that sense of calm but on a bigger scale. This is the kind of clarity you feel once you are fully informed and have a plan around something that, previously, was causing you strife.
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