Sleepy thoughts on a bright, starry night
I woke up at 4:30 one morning last weekend, and couldn’t get back to sleep. Everything going on in my life crowded into my brain, as it often does during especially busy spells. When that happens, I know the tips and tricks I need to utilize to push things out of my mind so I can get some more sleep, but frankly, it felt like too much of an effort. So I decided to get up and get a few [...]
An Olympic effort can achieve any goal
Like many other people around the country, I’ve spent a good portion of my evenings over the last two weeks sitting in front of my television, watching the Summer Olympics. It’s ironic that an event like the Olympics – which showcases people who are among the most physically fit and active in the world, and who are competing and performing at the highest level possible – turns so many of us into couch potatoes. But starting next week, I’ll get [...]
Keep on singing to brighten everyone’s day
“The sun’ll come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there’ll be sun…” I smiled as I listened to a powerhouse voice belting out the popular song from the musical, “Annie.” But I wasn’t at the theatre experiencing it live, or listening to a CD of the soundtrack in my car or home. I was in the checkout line at the grocery story. The singer – whom I couldn’t even see at first because she was so tiny and [...]
It’s not what you fear, but what you do that counts
What would you do if you were fearless? That question came up during a meeting I attended last Thursday. It was a planning session for a “Fearless Women” event that’s going to take place later this year, and as we discussed the event and the question, I had no idea how – or how often – the issues of fear and fearlessness would come up in the next 30 hours. The first instance, shocking and frightening, was when I woke [...]
Dumb mistakes drive new lessons home
It was a dumb mistake, followed by several more – none of which should have happened, and all of which were my own fault. By the time all was said and done, I was frustrated, embarrassed, angry (at myself), swearing (at myself), crying, and driving home in defeat after more than an hour on the road. And it wasn’t even 7:30 in the morning. I had been on my way to a once-a-month meeting that starts at 6:30 a.m. I [...]
A loving man, a successful life
I always enjoy getting feedback about my column, especially when people mention something helpful they learned while reading it, or a powerful memory it brought out in them. Occasionally, the feedback I receive actually moves me to tears. That happened this week, when I read an email from a friend that I haven’t seen in a long time. What she said was so eloquently expressed that I emailed her back to ask if I could include it here pretty much [...]