I don’t even remember the question, but the answer will stay with me for a long time. For the rest of my life, I hope. My husband and I were recently at a symposium of an organization he belongs to, and one of the sessions was a panel discussion featuring several of the convention’s presenters. In response to one question, a panelist began by saying, “I think that if more of us started our sentences with ‘I think that…,’ ‘It’s my opinion…,’ or ‘My research [...]
Even for people who aren’t big soccer fans, it was hard not to get excited about the World Cup this year. It’s been the main topic of many sports shows, news reports, and casual conversations for the past month. I saw several of the games, including the nail-biting final match between Argentina and Spain. My favorite game, though, is one that took place a week before then, and it had nothing to do with the World Cup. We were in Minnesota visiting family, and had [...]
Back when I was old enough to be dreaming about the future, but young enough that it was still far off, I used to imagine what an idyllic evening in my grown-up life might be like: Lying on the sofa with a fire in the fireplace and soft music in the background. A glass of wine and a good book close at hand. My husband in a chair nearby, and a big, sweet dog asleep on the floor next to me. I’d hear the sound [...]
There’s a new show in town, and it’s a big, big deal! It’s called Voices and Votes: Democracy in America, and it’s a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit that’s been making its way around the country since 2020. It’s in Georgia now, and Putnam County, where I live, is the first of only a handful of locations in the state that will be hosting it. The exhibit never goes to major, big-city museums—only to rural and small-town locations. It also includes a lot of moving parts. [...]
Easter is such a wonderful and important holiday for so many reasons. First and foremost, of course, is the religious significance for everyone who celebrates the resurrection of Christ, which is the basis for all Christian faiths. It’s also a fun and colorful family day, with a weekend that often includes Easter egg hunts for children, photos with the Easter bunny, and Easter baskets filled with chocolate bunnies, Peeps, and other goodies. For adults, Easter baskets can have samples of the foods that will be [...]
Hamburgers or hot dogs. Which food would you say is more American? How about peanut butter and jelly or grilled cheese? Apple pie or chocolate chip cookies? These were some of the decisions I had to make—along with my three teammates—at a recent training session for upcoming school field trips to the Georgia Writers Museum, where I’m an active volunteer. The project wasn’t really about food, however. It was about discussion, debate, and decision-making. It was about the voting process. The preparations were in advance [...]
New Year’s Day is a celebration of new beginnings. Ash Wednesday begins a season of sacrifice. Yet both have something in common for me, and they involve thoughtful planning and reflection. Anyone who has read my columns or blogs for any length of time knows I still make New Year’s Resolutions every year. I give some thought to them, and try to come up with resolutions I can actually keep. Whether I really do is another story, of course, but I give it my best [...]
It used to be easy to tell when you were talking on the phone to a robot or recording. The choppy, sloppy wording—or the monotonous voice telling you to listen carefully because the menu has changed—was a dead giveaway that it wasn’t a live person on the other end of the line. But no more. Although AI—artificial intelligence—has been around and in use for longer than most of us realize, it seems that it’s only recently that it’s become a big deal—and found virtually (no [...]
Between meetings and events, doctor’s appointments, and other activities, I’ve usually got at least five to ten items listed on my calendar each week. But whether it was divine intervention and timing or dumb luck—I’m going to assume the former—I had only three commitments last week, and all of them were via Zoom. Which means I could go all week without leaving the house. Not that I normally would have actually stayed home all week. But last week, it was a blessing. Like much of [...]