A few months back, my daughter had an appointment with her orthodontist. She has follow-up appointments every eight weeks while she endures the childhood anguish of wearing braces. The office has a really cool incentive program for kids: they can earn “wooden nickels” by doing things like maintaining good dental hygiene and having no broken…
If I’m fortunate this morning, I’m sitting on my deck in a bright yellow Adirondack chair, beginning my day with a cup of Earl Grey. I’m hearing the cardinal’s quick, cheerful chirp. If I’m exceptionally lucky, I see the flash of a ruby chest triangle on a rose-breasted grosbeak at my feeder. I look out…
I abhor running. I have a workout shirt that reads, “If you see me running, please kill whatever is chasing me.” When I think about endurance, I think about runners. I’ve managed to eke out a 5k where my feet left the ground at just enough speed to be considered a jog for the duration…
On a car ride back from Christmas in Pensacola with our families, as fresh newlyweds, I told my husband, Bryan, that I was miserable in my career. I’d earned a master’s degree, climbed the corporate ladder, and was helping run a Women in Leadership and Philanthropy program at a large state university. The female alumni…
At this point in the year, I am yearning to plant something, anything. We have been living in a world of ice and snow, wind and frost for months. My fingers ache to dig into warm soil. My nose longs to smell the dark, rich earth. My garden is planned; my seeds have been ordered…
I never thought I would be a hider. Six months after I joined the corporate world in 2008, my supervisor conducted an anonymous 360 review of my performance. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, but one of my colleagues reported that he found me “abrasive.” That one label discolored all the others for me. The colleague…