Lost in Paris
Lost in Paris A few years ago, I took my daughter on an impromptu trip to Paris, fulfilling a promise I had made to her since she was a little girl. I had the fortune of traveling there for work several times when she was very young, and I ended up falling in love with […]
Small Miracles and Near Misses
Small Miracles and Near Misses We hear a lot about streaks of adversities that most of us go through at least once in our lifetime. Some people say that bad things “come in threes” and there’s also “Murphy’s Law” reminding us that “anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” But we also hear stories […]
Love and Accountability
Love and Accountability I have written a few times about my relationship with my siblings, mostly describing passages of laughter and good times (see one of my previous posts titled “Laughing with Yourself”). However, growing up with them so closely has also created a sense of accountability among us, and I want to share this […]
Strangers on planes and unexpected lessons
Strangers on planes and unexpected lessons Long ago, I discovered that one of my true passions is traveling around the world, both to big and small places. I have yet to explore most of the countries that exist on our planet, and I also recognize that the clock is ticking, so I may run out […]
Laughing with Yourself
Laughing with Yourself My siblings and I have countless stories of funny, sad, ugly, and beautiful situations that we have lived through together. I wrote about our unbreakable bond in my first post on this blog (see “Belonging Somewhere”). We are intentional about getting together every year, as we live in different places across North […]
The Wall and the Well (of Shame)
The Wall and the Well (of Shame) Shame is an undesirable feeling, as negative as a feeling can possibly be in my opinion. Brené Brown is a shame researcher who has explained it so well as “the fear of disconnection”[1] or “the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore […]
Honoring Your Standards
Honoring Your Standards When I was a university student, I enrolled in a class that required taking turns presenting in front of our peers. I have been known as someone who prepares ad nauseam for that type of commitment, and this was not the exception. I worked on my task with what I thought were […]
The Artist and Her Hidden Talent
The Artist and Her Hidden Talent My grandmother grew up in a household that encouraged, or perhaps expected that every child would take on an artistic pursuit, and the girls in particular were raised to engage in the fine arts. One of her sisters played the piano beautifully. Grandma also learned some piano, but her […]
A Recipe for Life: What Did She Think Was Going to Happen?
A Recipe for Life (What Did She Think Was Going to Happen?) Reader beware: I get a little nosy and testy in this post. Going to the nail salon has become an infrequent experience for me as I have changed my priorities in recent years for how I spend my time and money. I now […]
Finding the Magic Formula
Finding the Magic Formula We are surrounded by floods of information. The news. Experts with a winning formula, like 5 steps to happiness, or 3 secrets of outstanding salespeople. Books with sage advice. TV commercials. Social media. Conventional wisdom. Podcasts. Lifestyle shows. Entrepreneurs with fascinating businesses. The list goes on. Our attention is divided among […]