Category Archives: Blog

When in doubt, don’t do anything.  Good advice for uncertain times.  That’s where I find myself. After a week of dealing with appliance FUBAR, it’s obvious that some major purchases are burdened by a lack of communication between sales, contracted delivery and removal of old appliances, and all levels in between.   And, some independent contractorsContinue reading “When in doubt…”

It’s been hard not to just go off on a rant over the past few weeks.  Forcing myself to be hopeful in light of the current state of politics, economics, the environment, and extremism has been a chore.  It took me most of “The Book of Hope” by Goodall and Abrams to break through aContinue reading “Thinking long term”

This is the anniversary of my arriving in and permanently moving to Key Largo.  The year has been like what I thought it would be and, in many ways, not at all like I thought it would be.  Pretty much life continued. Probably my biggest concern when I first arrived was finances.  Even with myContinue reading “A year of recharting”

One of the best growth experiences in my life was getting trained to be a Gallup Strengths Coach.  I’m excited to attend the Gallup at Work Summit this week.  It’s virtual for the third year in a row, making it very affordable to take some time to be inspired at home. While I imagined doingContinue reading “Ready to Learn!”

It’s a coincidence that I’m reading Martha Beck’s The Way of Integrity when I come across a letter from March of 2009.  Because of the book, I’m compelled to write about it. The past year has been about downsizing.  Certain items just weren’t going to make the move to a smaller place.  Other items, tuckedContinue reading “Mommy dearest”

Sunday mornings I treat myself to grapefruit juice mimosas as I read the Miami Herald after my walk.  This morning’s walk was cut short because I pulled something in my back yesterday – probably while tossing a week’s worth of laundry into the wash and yanking it out of the drier.  Or, I’m just old. Continue reading “Grapefruit juice mimosas and a pulled back muscle are better than water main breaks and ER visits”

The pressure to get things done, to see results, drives me a little too much, even in retirement.  Because of this, not having the inspiration to blog about anything lately has led to needless frustration, guilt, and excuse making.  While I have been doing some professional writing as part of school reviews the past twoContinue reading “Sometimes green doesn’t mean go”

Maybe living on an island has made me contemplate bridges more.  The only way to get to the mainland is via a bridge.  The only way to explore the rest of our tropical archipelago is via numerous bridges.  And, meandering along waterways, you have to know if your boat will fit under some of thoseContinue reading “A bridge to…”

“I don’t know who to shoot – they all look like us.”  Last night’s news shared these words coming from a Russian soldier.  How awful is this is so many ways?  On the one hand, here are people who share Slavic ethnicity, killing each other because a dictator told them to and forced the otherContinue reading ““I don’t know who to shoot…””

After reading a few biographies and visiting with family and friends that we haven’t seen for a while, I find the practice that Gates offers at the end of Chapter 5 compelling. Three ways to practice compassion and loving kindness: Compassion:  Sit quietly and review your life in ten-year increments, starting from when you wereContinue reading “Our personal histories”