On Resilience

A Night at Fairwinds Farm

I love stepping away from our present lives, even for one night.

Last week I witnessed a rite of passage I’m unlikely to forget. My twins and I attended a Shabbat service at a neighborhood congregation we’re exploring. Turns out that the community was acknowledging a special member of its own that evening – a 13-year-old boy named Ben who was being Bar Mitvahed.

Paradox and Privilege

This is a month of paradox. Our four children are winding down the summer and gearing up for school. Me, too, for as readers know, I’ve just begun a two-year MFA program in creative non-fiction writing at Goucher College. All week we’ve been purging old clothes, shoes, toys, books, papers and other mindless knick knacks, while making room for the requisite back-to-school sneakers, supplies and the like.

Can I Help in the Kitchen?

I’m still at Goucher College, nearing the end of my residency, which begins the two-year MFA program in creative non-fiction.

No, this post isn’t about the surprisingly good dorm food or my own desire to head to the kitchen and whip up salmon almondine.

It’s about humility.

“Sit Up Straight” says Colorado’s First Lady

So I’m at the Starbucks tucked inside Barnes and Noble the other day, killing an hour in-between appointments. It’s about Noon. “I recognize you,” says Jeannie Ritter, Colorado’s First Lady. “And I recognize you,” I reply. I remind the First Lady of my name, that her daughter and my stepson are friendly, and of the few times we’ve met.

When You Need It NOW!

In the midst of writing a keynote speech for a Fortune 500 CEO today, I decided to reward myself. My treat? A new pair of slippers. It was 3:30 pm and I’d been working on the speech since early morning. I was tired and needed a perk. Actually, I HAD TO HAVE THE SLIPPERS IMMEDIATELY. Call it the “I need it now” gene, which also showed itself the other evening after dinner as I nuzzled Steve. “Hi honey. I love you. Can you please get me some Espresso Chocolate Chip ice cream?”

Traveling “The Road”

So I’m finally reading Cormac McCarthy’s The Road.

I’ve been meaning to read the book for a few years but have resisted largely because of its grim plot. Typically, I have no interest in books built around violence and destruction.

Massages and Intention

I had a mind-body experience last week.

While Keda from Denver’s Spa Universaire hung from parallel bars, deftly pressing her bare feet into my naked flesh, I couldn’t help but think about my voice. In the midst of this killer Ashiatsu massage (killer as in deep release not pain), I was thinking about