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The Best Advice

“Advice is what you ask for when you know the answer, but wish you didn’t.” I don’t know what philosopher, comedian, or entrepreneur first said that, but I do recall chuckling the first time I read it. And I agree there’s some truth to it. After all, when we’re dealing with complex issues in our lives, or trying to decide on next steps or a course of action, we often find that the answers we were looking for were inside of us all along. We [...]

By |February 18th, 2024|Columns, Health and Well-being, Quotes and Sayings|Comments Off on The Best Advice

September Speed

Okay, raise your hand if you’ve already said – or if someone has said to you – “September?! I can’t believe it’s September already!” Full disclosure: My hand is raised, too. The older we get, the more quickly time seems to fly. Still, there’s something about the month of September that really drives this home. I don’t know if it’s because school starting up again is such a stark milestone – even if we don’t have school-age children anymore, and even if school now starts [...]

By |September 3rd, 2023|Columns, Holidays, Quotes and Sayings, Values|Comments Off on September Speed

It fits to a T

I try not to write about the same thing twice in a row, but the blog about t-shirt messages warranted a follow-up. And since both posts were a bit heavy-handed, touching on censorship, violence, and discrimination, I thought I would give the topic one more shot, but on a lighter note. So I’m sharing some of my favorite t-shirt messages. One that always makes me laugh said, “If you can remember the 60s, you weren’t really there.” I was in high school in the late [...]

By |August 25th, 2023|Columns, Holidays, Quotes and Sayings|Comments Off on It fits to a T

And the Banned Played On

A number of people commented on my blog post last week, about the t-shirt featuring titles of books that are well-known classics, but have been banned at different times and for different reasons. The caption under the books read, “I’m with the banned.” I was happy to see the response from someone who posted an enthusiastic “I’ll join your band!” Someone else said she found it ironic that books are being banned at a time when movies and videos are filled with explicit sex and [...]

By |August 19th, 2023|Columns, Quotes and Sayings, Respect, Values|Comments Off on And the Banned Played On

An Exercise in Freedom

Every so often, I look back through my past columns and blog posts—for inspiration, and to keep from repeating myself, especially on holidays. But some of them bear repeating, particularly when something I wrote long ago is as relevant today as when I first wrote it—and sometimes even more so. Below is a column I wrote on July 1, 2004. I hope you find it worth reading now, almost 20 years later. And I hope you have a safe and happy 4th of July weekend. [...]

By |July 1st, 2023|Columns, Holidays, Quotes and Sayings|Comments Off on An Exercise in Freedom

What day is this?

“Today is about tomorrow, not about yesterday.” That statement came from the president of Georgia Writers Museum at the start of a strategic planning session I took part in last week. Normally, I am intimidated by things like strategic planning sessions. They’re simply not my area of expertise, and when I’m in one I often feel like I’m in the wrong place, or in over my head. This one was different, though. Creativity was emphasized, and the exercises we did over the course of the [...]

By |May 22nd, 2023|Columns, Family, Organizing, Quotes and Sayings|Comments Off on What day is this?

Can you read this?

“Up until third grade, you’re learning to read. After third grade, you’re reading to learn.” I heard this statement for the first time last week, from the Executive Director of an organization that works with the entire family to help children succeed in life and fulfill their God-given purpose. I was at the facility to discuss a program that several members of my Toastmasters Club did for the staff a few years ago, and that we’ve been asked to do again. It was during a [...]

By |March 14th, 2023|Columns, Quotes and Sayings, Success, Toastmasters, Values, Writing|Comments Off on Can you read this?

If you see something…

“If you see something, say something.” That slogan has existed since 2001, and came about in response to the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Its original purpose was to remind people – at airports especially, but other places as well – to speak up and alert authorities if they see anything suspicious, such as an abandoned bag or suitcase that could contain a bomb. Over the years, the phrase has been used in other contexts as well – suspicious activity [...]

By |October 31st, 2022|Accountability, Columns, Making a Difference, Quotes and Sayings|Comments Off on If you see something…

What this angry world needs

“What this angry world needs is a lot more hope.” That was the headline for an opinion column in our local newspaper last week. And it got me thinking. While I don’t argue with the value and importance of hope in our lives, I think there’s something else this angry world needs even more: respect. Treating others with respect is not necessarily the same as respecting them, although it would be nice to do both. But even if there are people who haven’t yet earned [...]

By |August 30th, 2022|Columns, Making a Difference, Quotes and Sayings, Respect, Values|Comments Off on What this angry world needs

What Nobody Knows

Every so often, I find myself quoting the author W. Somerset Maugham, who once said, “There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” I thought of that Saturday while attending a “Writing Children’s Books” Workshop at Georgia Writers Museum. The workshop featured four successful children’s book authors, speaking about different aspects of writing, illustrating, and publishing. Their presentations included their own personal stories – how they got started, what inspired them, and best practices based on their experiences. [...]

By |August 22nd, 2022|Columns, Quotes and Sayings, Writing|Comments Off on What Nobody Knows