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Be Inspired

What’s Doing Push-ups Behind the Scenes?

There's a saying in the rooms of recovery that 'your disease is doing push-ups' while you're in there working on sobriety, abstinence, solvency or your form of mental and spiritual well-being. Translated, if you choose to go...

What Have You Taught Yourself Lately?

I'm feeling very Helen-Reddy-I-can-do-anything these days. Some YouTube watching, a successful outcome, and ta-dah, increased self-esteem. In today's pandemic/quarantine, a bit of self-education and achievement can go a long way. Two trips to the computer had me...

Tired of Self-Sufficiency?

I wasn't used to preparing three meals a day, cleaning my apartment, making household repairs and observing protocols for staying healthy the once a day I exit my home. Admittedly, I've had help along the way until 8 weeks ago. Now, it's all me all the time. Not...

What’s Your Dollhouse?

Katie Settel, a long-time client, called me this morning wanting to start a movement. She is passionate about helping children during this crisis. She's come up with the idea, the organization to sponsor it, and guidelines for contribution. She wanted my help...

What Is Your Time Worth Today?

I enjoyed cleaning my Logitech keyboard last week and thought I'd tackle my slow-operating vacuum cleaner today. I took the dust receptacle apart and saw (online) that you can run water through the filter. I noticed that it didn't flow easily. On closer inspection,...

Laurie Klein Made My Day

"It's our job as creatives to put good stuff back into the world," Laurie Klein, my friend and creative guru, declared during our virtual zoom dinner this evening. Although we hadn't spoken in a few years, I received an invitation to and attended Laurie's "virtual...

A Small Good Thing Courtesy of Katie Settel

Raymond Carver's short story, A Small Good Thing, has given special meaning to that phrase. In his narrative, a tragedy occurs for a young family. But, in the midst of their sadness, a moment of caring soothes their spirits. During this quarantine, many small good...

Marie Beattie – A New Kind of Client Need

Marie has counted days in her new role since its inception. Today is Day 3437 in a job she did not apply for, wishes had never been assigned, but one at which she excels beyond any human's expectations. Since Saturday, October 2, 2010, Marie has served as the...

What 3 Things Do You Want?

There's a heart-warming and affirming documentary on Netflix called Harold and Lillian that will inspire movie fans as well as creatives who love what they do. Its subtitle, A Hollywood Love Story, tells you about the unusual marriage of two major contributors to...

Very Gail – Another Extraordinary Entrepreneur

When I received this beautifully calligraphed envelope early in the New Year, I knew exactly who it was from. Gail Brill has been a friend since the early 2000's, but we haven't been in close touch since she moved to Saranac Lake in 2003. It took receiving her...

My Word for 2020

I've enjoyed taking note of my friends' and colleagues' well-considered Word of the Year in the past, but had never participated. Hearing their successes and how having a specially selected unit of language impacted them throughout 365 days motivated me to consider...

Beautiful Quote by Amaryllis Fox

I just finished reading Life Undercover by Amaryllis Fox, a former CIA operative's story of her life. She worked in a profession as wildly different from mine than anyone I know, yet her riveting story is filled with beautiful writing and wisdom. After living a...

I Spy Lin-Manuel Miranda! A Perfect Day in NYC

I couldn't have scripted yesterday any better, a perfect NYC day for this citizen, both professionally and personally. First thing in the morning I completed work on a retreat I'm leading next week -- I'll write more about that after it's over--knowing that I had...