Within 90 minutes this morning I heard the same sentence uttered by two different women I admire. In each instance, a second party had commented on a lifestyle choice my friend/client had made and remarked, somewhat snarkily, "It's so nice that you have that...
I'm in the process of applying to be a writer-in-residence for a few weeks this coming winter. The location is remote and far away. It is exclusively for women. We each get our own cabin, write all day, then gather in the evening for community and support. Meals...
I didn't often read Red Smith's column in the sports section of the NY Times, but on one occasion I was extremely taken by his humility. He wrote something like, "I've been writing about baseball for 30 years, and I think I'm beginning to understand it now."...
I love writing. There, I've said it. Growing up, my mother labeled us. "Jane, you're the artist." (Thank God I got that one!) "Meredith, you're the writer. Barbara, you're the pretty one. Andy, you're the funny one." Because my older sister was awarded claim to all...
I've known Diane Ripstein since I joined the National Speakers Association in 1997. I knew that she was a communications expert par excellence. I'd seen her present to audiences and demonstrate her vast skills as a business leader and authority on the subject of...
I didn't buy a lot of stuff on my trip, but I do want to show off the few things I did purchase. Of course, my go-to professional for this assignment is always Scarlett DeBease. She was here this morning for under three hours, and we (she, really) came up with 36...
On June 11 I'll be giving my first public talk about my Semester at Sea--the experiences I had traveling with 550 students around the world, visiting 11 countries, most of which are not touristy in the way Americans, especially me, expect. Things like heat (in...
When I attended Camp Chinqueka, a sleepaway camp for girls, back in the last century, I met Cookie, aka Marisabina, Russo. We were great friends back then and re-discovered our relationship when she attended my alma mater, Mount Holyoke College. She truly is my...
When was the last time you were thanked for unsubscribing from a newsletter or distribution list? For me, it was on Sunday. Since I've arrived back in NY, I've been listening to my heart and gut and noticing what I feel like doing, versus what I should be doing....
Working backward from my departure next Tuesday, I'm figuring out what meals I still need to shop for and prepare, how many more loads of laundry there are to do and which articles of clothing I can safely pack away into storage to make room for my tenant. My...
When I was a kid I thought that to be a grown-up meant knowing how to drive a stick shift car, speaking French and living in a Victorian. I realize these date me, but they represented a worldview that felt like it had my name on it. So did 'sailing around the...
While everyone else is scurrying about buying greens to trim their staircases and mantles, wrapping gifts to put under the tree, and baking fruit cakes, I've been busy tending to my list for my upcoming travel around the world amidst the Christmas chaos. Being...
I already know the answer. I want to offer a story and a solution. I was sitting at my desk yesterday before leaving for a hectic afternoon of coaching and meetings. I call the MTA to find out how to get the 30-day deal on my EasyPay card which can't be inserted...
Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Mine was perfection, meaning that it included the people I love (minus one sick grandchild and her parents), amazing food prepared by my chef nephew and my sister (at whose knee his passion was quickened), easy traffic to...
I moved to NYC a year ago. That was a leap. After 40 years in Connecticut, moving to the Big Apple was a fantasy come true. I immediately joined a local fellowship as my anchor here. Shortly after I became a regular participant, I heard a woman in the group talk...
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