It’s been a while since I’ve attended a webinar. Nearly every one I’ve been to has been disappointing. Often, introductions are 10 or 15 minutes long. Content is thin, at best. I’m on board with selling your program at the end of the webinar, but I don’t think that your pitch should be longer than … Read more
Nearly everyone has borrowed something from someone else at some point. Sometimes, we give it back; sometimes not so much. I’m in the process of getting ready to return something that was loaned to me (I didn’t ask to borrow it, but I was happy it was offered) two years ago. Two years ago. Yeah, … Read more
The other day, I shared on Facebook the four most popular posts from December. Two of them were about Christmas. A friend from way back commented that I’d written a lot about Christmas but not about the lights. The Lights. In short (because I’m not sure that a longer piece would do it any more … Read more
To celebrate the new year, The Climbing Daddy and I did a set of two 5ks: the last 5k of 2018 and the first 5k of 2019. One started at 10:30 p.m. and the other at 12:10 a.m., with a sparkling cider toast at midnight in between. So two 5ks, which is the same distance … Read more
I’ve heard so many stories of people’s celebrations … so many stories of Christmases not exactly as planned but still lovely … of new beginnings … of “probably the lasts” … of new traditions with old people … of old traditions with new people … Thank you for sharing your stories with me. If you … Read more
I am a recovering perfectionist. For a long time, everything had to be just right. Edit, erase, start over. Make sure there’s always a straight-edge handy. No streaks, no cracks, no chips. I realize this is fear-based. I’m better about it. I don’t spend an hour carefully curating which font I’m going to use on … Read more
When you are Other in your family—for whatever reason—holidays are stressful. I always felt trapped on Thanksgiving and Christmas, because “the holidays are about family” but my family was toxic. There was nowhere else to go when I was living at home, and it took me moving across the country to be able to set … Read more
In the span of a few days, I had conversations with two homeless people. (Well, I had a conversation and I overheard a conversation.) I was waiting on the platform for the train. A woman who looked homeless decided to run across the street to get some water before the train came. A man standing … Read more
Without getting into debate (right now) about what should be taught or how it should be taught (I have a lot of opinions on those pieces), EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT. We have taken education for granted. For so long, people have just gone to school. It doesn’t directly cost anything. We complain about this teacher or … Read more
Sometimes, I talk about significant things as if they’re just another thing. For example, I’m divorced and re-married. I plainly talk about things in my first marriage, about things in my divorce, about things as they are now. It doesn’t mean that none of it is significant, or that it didn’t matter, or that it … Read more