What a Life

Send a text

Oh how we love the unexpected! The hero fallen, the downtrodden made king, the right-side-up turned upside-down. What is this obsession with surprise? 

I have a theory, and it has a lot to do with how we're processing our current reality...

Send a text

Dr. Benjamin Spock was a parenting staple for my parents' generation. His advice to would-be parents is both terrifying and encouraging. But even with his guidance, I have to wonder: Is parenting for me? Or perhaps better put: Am I for parenting?

Send a text

As the election creeps ever closer, I start to think of historical analogs to our own Donald Trump. One particular Roman emperor comes to mind...

Send a text

I've long been a poet. Or, perhaps more accurately, I've long tried to be a poet. But little meaningful seems to come from my words. Even when I lean on the greats for inspiration, words fall flat. What am I doing wrong? Am I using the wrong words? The wrong approach? The wrong medium?

Or is my life simply not the stuff of poetry?

Send a text

Life is hard these days — harder that it was just a few years ago. Part of that is the normal role of professional life as one climbs the ladder. Part of it is an uptick in responsibility and the ache of economic and financial pressures. But what about the political upheaval all around us? How is that impacting us? And how do we engage with the powers that be to ensure our voices are heard? 

This episode, I share a couple of poems I wrote as reflections on these questions. 

Send a text

It's Pride weekend — and that's something to celebrate. Or is it? It's been hard for me to take pride in anything as an adult. Is that a byproduct of life's pressures, my survivalist mentality, my self-flagellation — or a combination of all three?

Send a text

A reflection-turned-short story, this view of a quiet suburban neighborhood wades into the notion of ultimate sacrifice — and how we honor those who have come before us.

Send a text

Subscriptions run the market: from dating to cars, our consumer lives are ruled by incremental buy-in to goods, services, and experiences. But it doesn't end there. The subscription mindset is taking over our relationships, too. It's redefining what it means to be loyal, present, and engaged with those we care about, often at our collective expense. What are the short-term and longterm consequences? And how do we stop it before it triggers a pandemic of loneliness? 

Send a text

Life has been challenging lately. It's hewing a little too close to Thoreau's "quiet desperation." I've been thinking about that a lot lately: grinding through daily life, searching for purpose, questioning who I am. It's a lot, I know, but it's a useful exercise if only to more clearly understand my motivations, my needs ... and my lack. As I share this with friends, I learn I'm very much not alone, and I turn to poetry to understand it...

Send a text

People-pleasers everywhere understand the terror in having to say "no." But as we grow older, we understand how critical it is to boundary-setting and grace-giving. Where it's too often absent: Work. Corporate America loves the "yes-sayers," especially those in the leadership chain. And that "yes-saying" can be exhausting to employees on the ground. So how do we switch gears and perfect the art of "no-saying" while still harnessing progress and profit and innovation?