Teachers show up for me at the most random moments. Unexpectedly intersecting and learning from them is one of the things I love most about the travels my work requires. Years ago, while observing operations at a client’s office in Nashville, Tennessee, I wandered out into the reception area in search of a coffee refill. Sitting in a wheelchair, beautifully …
Making Friends
For several years, Tom and I spent a lot of time biking. I learned a lot of lessons during those years. One, in particular, stands out to me that I’d like to share with you this week. In preparing for a 72-mile ride around Lake Tahoe, I knew I’d need three things: extended time on my bike seat, a fresh …
Rebirth
My world has burned to the ground around me a couple of times in my life—the kind of burning that leaves you on your knees, unsure what day it is, or if it’s day or night. A gut-wrenching, life-altering kind of downward spiral that at first makes you feel physically sick, then numb, then devastated, and ultimately after you ache …
Music Monday: An American Child
There are certain passages in our lives that create personal bonds so deep that the flow of time has no effect on their strength or impact on you. My high school experience was one of those passages. With only 38 kids in my graduating class, we were close. So close, in fact, that our teachers insisted we take a moment …
Potlatch Giving
Tom and I recently had the fantastic privilege of visiting the incredible state of Alaska for two weeks. We began our trip in the southeast panhandle which included stops in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. Beyond all the magnificent wonders we experienced, we learned about the native indigenous people, a large portion of whom are called the Tlingit (pronounced “klinget”) people. …
Experiencing Expansion
Last week, I wrote about the value of lightening up, particularly in my travels. It reminded me of other valuable lessons I’ve learned from traveling. So, in the spirit of the upcoming summer vacation season, I’ve decided to share some of those lessons with you over the next couple of weeks. First, let me say how excited and renewed I …
Lightening Up
I may be on my way to becoming a minimalist. I realize the non-committal nature of this statement which actually makes me laugh because I can instantly hear my friends collectively and incredulously replying, “Say WHAT?” Let me explain. Lightening up has become my new obsession. And to be fair, maybe we’ll just see how long it lasts and how …
Still Cookin’
It may go down as my all-time favorite childhood memory: The smell of my grandmother’s homemade pecan and raisin cinnamon rolls baking in the oven… “love in a pan” made especially for me because she knew they were my favorite. Several times during what seemed to me an everlasting, agonizing, eternal baking process, she would say, in a not-so-subtle, louder …
Hyperbole
We just re-watched The Greatest Showman with my two boys last weekend, and I was struck by a line spoken by Hugh Jackman, who plays P.T. Barnum. He said, “Hyperbole isn’t the worst crime. Men suffer more from imagining too little than too much.” I think this is true. I’ve soothed myself to sleep for years by adding detail upon …
Be Like Water
Tom’s 10-year-old granddaughter, Selah, is a wonder to us. Watching her grow, it’s easy to see that she is a natural empath and a total creative soul. She is drawn to art and music and is sensitive to color, form, and emotion, expressed in all different ways. She is also dyslexic and struggles with reading and writing. We greatly admire …