My Blog

James as The Sorcerer March 2023

Ed and I are in the Boston airport waiting to head back to Savannah after seeing our son James perform in The Sorcerer as part of the Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert & Sullivan Players. He played J.W. Wells, a.k.a., the sorcerer. I may be a little bit biased, but I think the entire troupe did a terrific…

Time Stopwatch

Time

I just finished the last load of wash from the weekend that saw our three children home for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Savannah, along with five of their friends. One of the conversations we had was about the perception of time and how it goes by more quickly the older you get. I…

Relationship with Life

Relationship with Life

I recently watched the TED Talk, “What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness” by Robert Waldinger, MD, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. This 75-year-old study is one of the most comprehensive longitudinal studies in history. Most people think fame and money are the key to happiness, but…

Touch

I’m Just Looking for Some…

You know the song, “Tush” by ZZ Top? I always thought they were looking for some “touch.” I have been happily singing along to this song for decades, thinking, “What a wonderful sentiment—we are all just looking for some touch to feel connected and close to one another.” The other day I was taking a…

Leaders Anticipate

Leaders Anticipate

Do you anticipate or do you react? I heard this question recently on a podcast and it got me thinking. Leaders are really good at anticipating future issues. Everyone else follows and reacts. Read any book about anyone who has been successful in business, and you will see that they saw something about the future…

Change

Change

People want to change, but they don’t want to change what they do. Changing your diet and becoming physically active is more of a challenge than popping a pill every day. Planning for and preparing healthy meals is more of a challenge than eating fast food. Studying and working hard to succeed is more of…

Can Your Body Live Up to Your Will

Can Your Body Live Up to Your Will?

Last week in my Tabata/Weights class, we were talking (when we could breathe) about why we were working out. The bottom line was that we were staying in shape so that when we wanted to do something fun, like go for a hike, take a long walk, or, in the case of my friends, play…

Framing Things In Your Mind

Framing Things In Your Mind

I was reminded again this week about how important it is to frame things in your mind while I was teaching my public speaking class at Georgia Southern University. The assignment was a manuscript reading, where students had to deliver a pre-written speech from the textbook. The purpose was to get students more comfortable delivering…

Planted or Buried

Are You Planted or Buried?

When my friend Barbara moved to Texas, she asked me to watch over some of her plants while her family was making the transition. I was happy to oblige, and during the time I was plant-sitting, I cut off some of an ivy plant (with her permission!) and re-potted it to start my own plant.…

Heck Yes

He*#, Yes!

Over the years, I have learned a few tricks so that I do not overcommit myself. My favorite way to determine whether I should do something is if I respond to the request with a, “He*#, Yes!” If it is anything less than that—like, “Well, I guess I could,” or, “Maybe I should,” I try…