Watched the political conventions. Reminded me of  Oscar Wilde who famously said: “If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you.” There was no lack of passion from the Republicans and/or the Democrats. Speaker after speaker argued that their point of view was the one all Americans (if they’re really Americans) ought to embrace. All that passion aside, a week later, the only thing I...

Read More

Stories give us wisdom which is better than knowledge and more useful than information. In fact, I’ve come to believe that story is the way we capture wisdom and hold onto it. With that in mind, let me share a few thoughts . . . Truth gives us no comfort in time of trouble and no sense of direction. For that, you need good stories about how others handled hard times. Good stories bend the details but always tell the truth. That’s...

Read More

I gave my middle finger to a particularly deserving driver and my mother (sitting in the passenger seat) about had a heart attack. Her generation valued “being a lady.” Mine decided “ladies” don’t get noticed/make history/climb the corporate ladder/etc. etc. . . . you get the idea. As a child, I was not supposed to be dramatic. Drama was for others with fewer manners. That was usually phrased as “a less...

Read More

Opened my email this morning and found several suggestions for remembering Mother’s Day–flowers (of course), a BOSE Radio, AirRibs, Godiva chocolates, a Mother’s Wisdom deck of cards (not sure what that is exactly), an Audiobook, and some kind of solar powered dancing flower knickknack. Not going there. With the recession, supporting the consumer economy is not a bad idea. However, I don’t think we talk enough about the...

Read More

The old adage says “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Not always true, but there are photos that seem to be a story. We look, smile, and wish we knew more about what’s going on. This family at a museum in Toronto, for example. Don’t you almost wish you could overhear what they’re talking about? Aren’t you tempted to make up a story? Little confession: that’s my son and his daughters. I didn’t...

Read More