Stop Watching
This week is a significant week for me. Two years ago on April 16, while visiting my parents in Maine, an aneurysm burst in my brain and I had a stroke. I woke up two days later in a hospital two hours away where I’d been flown. People tell me that I’m a miracle. The…
The Power of a Beginner’s Mind (Or How Knowing Everything Might Be Holding You Back)
(This is based on a speech I gave at Pelham Toastmasters on February 5, 2025.) Let’s be honest: Most of us think we’re pretty smart. We’ve got years of experience, a collection of hard-earned wisdom, and a drawer full of metaphorical “expert” badges. But what if I told you that everything you know might actually be keeping you…
Picture Books
I love children’s picture books. I love that words and art work together to create a setting for sharing and exploring a story. I love the challenge of the author to write something thoughtful in 500-1000 words – usually 32 pages. Even more inspiring is a book that has no words – that leaves the…
“Word” of the year
I took myself on a field trip to the Quilt Shop this morning. It was a field trip – and not shopping – because my sole purpose of being there was to be around the fabric and to fall in love. No particular projects to shop for. No particular tools needed. Just an hour or…
Silence
Just a month ago, I visited Caesar’s Head State Park in South Carolina. Today this region holds thousands of lives that have been disrupted, destroyed, forever altered. Sometimes silence is better than words.
Doin’ New Things this Week…
In August, I joined a local Toastmasters Club, fulfilling a dream that I have carried for almost thirty years. On Wednesday, I delivered my first “Icebreaker” speech to the club. Want to read what planned to say… check it out here. This past summer, I made a list of all the local places that I…
