“Wonderfully crazy busy” is a great way to be
I have a friend who was interested in visiting an organization I belong to that meets once a month. I told her I would send her a reminder when it was time to register for the next meeting. When I did, she said she was still interested, but wasn’t able to make that meeting because she was totally booked with clients that day. “I have been wonderfully crazy busy,” she said. The thought that has been with me ever since [...]
Major frustrations can be changed into minor inconveniences
I got a text message from a person I had a meeting with one morning last week, saying she’d be a few minutes late because she was stuck in some road construction traffic. She was frustrated with the situation, but when she arrived she told me that after she tuned in to a traffic report, she found out it wasn’t construction that caused the backup. It was an accident that had briefly blocked traffic in both directions. This gave her [...]
Writing about books leads to a “readcation”
It was ironic that just a day or so after I turned in last week’s column, I came across a blog that suggested taking a “readcation.” Ironic because my column was about books – reading them, buying them, borrowing them from the library – and because writing the column forced me to take a good, hard look at all the shelves, end tables, nightstands, and other places in my house that are overloaded with books. I was surprised by the [...]
To own or to read – that is the question
A friend of mine is an avid reader. I am fascinated by the fact that she reads about a hundred books a year. What I find even more fascinating is that she owns very few books herself. One reason is that she downsized not long ago to a smaller living space. She had to be ruthless in getting rid of things, and extremely selective in what she kept. Another reason is that she lives near a library, which she considers [...]
Road construction builds new insights
As the weather starts to turn chilly, and talk turns to forecasts of frost and the winter to come, it again calls to mind the old joke about there being two seasons in Minnesota: winter and road construction. And since this past summer’s construction season was especially brutal, the coming winter may be more welcome than usual. I’ve been as vocal as everyone else in complaining about the heavier-than-normal road construction this summer, and the delays and disruptions it’s caused. [...]
“Naughty Barb” starts a nice conversation
A friend of mine has a new nickname: “Naughty Barb.” This is especially funny to the people who know her, since she is probably one of the nicest people on the planet. She is caring and compassionate, strong and supportive, with a genuine concern for others and a willingness to share her own painful stories and experiences if they will be of benefit to others in any way. She is also a “connector” and loves to put people who can [...]