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A Leading Question

The graduation ceremony for my Putnam Leadership class was last week. No ”Pomp and Circumstance” or caps and gowns, but it included speeches by the leaders of the program, announcements of our activities and achievements, and presentation of our graduation certificates. Plus a nice dinner and a gift bag. In addition to the graduates and instructors, several city and county officials attended the event. I always find occasions such as this to be bittersweet, representing both an ending and a beginning. They bring an end [...]

By |May 2nd, 2022|Achieving Dreams and Goals, Columns, Quotes and Sayings, Writing|Comments Off on A Leading Question

A Reason to Celebrate

For those of you who aren’t aware of this, April is National Poetry Month. I know this because a friend of mine is a poet and celebrates it every year, and also because Georgia Writers Museum always has poetry-related events during April, whether it’s an open mic night for poetry readings, a “Meet the Author” event featuring published poets, or a contest for students asking them to write a poem – or submit their favorite poem, along with a paragraph explaining why it’s their favorite. [...]

By |April 3rd, 2022|Columns, Toastmasters, Writing|2 Comments

What a treat!

I spent most of last weekend at the Georgia Writers Museum, helping with their first Annual Writers Retreat. As a member of the Board and the Programs Committee, I was thrilled to see how well-attended it was, how enthusiastic and involved everyone seemed to be, and how smoothly the entire event flowed. As a writer, I appreciated the knowledge I gained, the other writers I met, and the inspiration I received. As I drove home from the retreat each day, my mind was filled with [...]

By |March 7th, 2022|Columns, Health and Well-being, Writing|Comments Off on What a treat!

Well?

I had my annual wellness visit with my doctor last week. I guess they don’t call it a “physical” anymore because it’s not just about checking physical health. There’s a mental and emotional health component as well. They’re all related, of course, so some of the questions on the form I had to fill out asked if – and how often – I’ve felt sad or depressed in the last four weeks, and how many days, if any, I had trouble falling asleep or getting [...]

By |February 28th, 2022|Columns, Family, Health and Well-being, Writing|Comments Off on Well?

First Thing in the Morning

I’ve spent a fair amount of time thinking about what New Year’s Resolutions I want to make this year. I’ve got several in mind, and just decided on my main one. I’ve written in the past about the power of “First Thing in the Morning.” For many people, first thing in the morning is the most productive and efficient time of day. I have many examples of that in my own life. I used to roll out of bed and plop myself in front of [...]

By |December 31st, 2021|Accountability, Columns, Health and Well-being, Holidays, Writing|Comments Off on First Thing in the Morning

A Bright and Sunny Forecast

It was gloomy and rainy here for most of the past week – to the point where we had some lakes forming in the low spots in our yard, and the storm was regularly knocking out our satellite TV reception. When the sun came out briefly toward the end of the week, it looked so strange I almost called the authorities to report seeing a UFO. Gloomy weather usually doesn’t put me in a gloomy mood, but it was definitely heading in that direction, especially [...]

By |October 10th, 2021|Achieving Dreams and Goals, Columns, Gifts and Talents, Making a Difference, Values, Writing|Comments Off on A Bright and Sunny Forecast

Promises to Keep

You’re hearing it here first, folks. And it’s going to be a lot of fun – I promise. “Promise” is the operative word, at least for this month, and it has to do with the kick-off of a new program from Georgia Writers Museum. It has to do with writing, too, of course, but it’s just for fun. And it’s for everyone. I serve on the Board and the Education and Program committees of GWM, and one of the goals of the Museum is to [...]

By |January 29th, 2021|Columns, Writing|2 Comments

Old and New Views

“How do you come up with things to write about week after week? Where do you go to find your ideas?” Those are questions people often asked when I was writing my newspaper column, and my answer was always the same. It still is, even after the newspaper column morphed into a weekly blog: I never go looking for ideas. I just keep my radar turned on at all times, so I stay open to things I see and hear in the world around me. [...]

By |July 18th, 2020|Columns, Toastmasters, Travel, Writing|Comments Off on Old and New Views

Words (NOT) of Wisdom

I had a Zoom meeting a few days ago with other members of a neighborhood club I belong to. The main item on the agenda – other than just touching  base and catching up with each other – was voting to elect a new treasurer, since our previous one had to resign due to health issues. After the vote, our new treasurer shared the story that when interviewing for her first job, she had to take a number of tests on various subjects at the [...]

Getting Out of a Jam

I was sitting at my desk the other day, getting ready for my writers’ group meeting. I had just printed out the pages I was planning to read, and as I was stapling them into sets, my stapler jammed. This usually means it’s almost empty, and the loose staples inside are bent and blocking the opening. But when I tried to open it to remove the logjam and refill the stapler, the pieces wouldn’t budge. No matter how much I pushed, pulled, pried or squeezed, [...]

By |October 4th, 2019|Columns, Writing|Comments Off on Getting Out of a Jam