Excerpts from Time Magazine’s “Chancellor of the Free World” (December 2015) “At a moment when much of the world is once more engaged in a furious debate about the balance between safety and freedom, the [German] Chancellor [Angela Merkel] is asking a great deal of the German people, and by their example, the rest of…
Everyone knows how dependent we all are on e-communications. The computer, the emails, Facebook, twitter and more. I like the ease of these communications but I’m aware that I simplify what I’m thinking or feeling when I communicate in this way. Analysts and psychologists warn against spending so much time online, saying we’re missing the…
September always reminds me of starting school. The new pencil boxes, big erasers and lined paper. New shoes and maybe a new outfit or sweater. The excitement of those early days: who will be my teacher? Who will be in my home room this year? I’m going to try for an A in algebra class…
Lately, I’ve been thinking about how much we all live in the future or even in the past. That is, most of the time we’re not where we think we are. We’re planning for this, arranging for that, filling our appointment books and ipads with people and events that are yet to come. We pine…
People keep asking me about the next book I’m writing. I’m grateful for their interest and I am a few thousand words into it. Much of it will cover how I started and, with the Board, grew Women Leading Kentucky for fifteen years! No title yet, and it’s a bit harder to write than my…
“Unsure what to desire, she simply wants.” Richard Russo, Straight Man Richard Russo gets so many things right in his books, Mohawk, Bridge of Sighs, Empire Falls. Unsure what to desire, she…we…simply want. Do you see the difference? Wants come and go. This morning I may want an orange, but in the afternoon I want…
Last week my computer was giving me hell! Pages that I wasn’t looking for showed up; those that I wanted made a brief appearance and then went the way of UFO’s as far as I can tell. The program wasn’t cooperating and I had no idea what to do next except shut it down. Of…
Have you yet seen the new television series Barmageddon? It’s the one where two very different types of bars – yes, the drinking kind – switch owners for a period of time to see if they can “improve” the other bar. For example, a raunchy, beer drinking bar’s owner goes to the uptown, cocktail bar…
During these dark and dreary days, I’ve taken time to curl up with a good book or two. It’s the best way to relax and lose yourself in another world, another person’s life. As writers, we’re always told that if we’re not writing, we must be reading. Keeping the synapses well oiled and working effectively!…
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” ― Maya Angelou What’s the first thing you read in the Sunday paper? If it’s…