Frozen Hot Chocolate and a Side of Lagniappe
One of my favorite chocolate shops in the whole world (ok, I’ve only seen part of the world, but still!) serves something called frozen hot chocolate. Now, before you make the mistake of thinking that frozen hot chocolate is exactly what it sounds like, let me assure you – it is not! This frozen hot […]
Those noisy upstairs neighbors
For 18 years of my single life, I lived on the bottom floor of a two-story, six-unit condo complex. It was the first home I purchased, and I loved it. I chose the bottom floor because it made it easy to take my dog out for her walks. The only catch? I was at the […]
Black and White Cookies. Right Here. Right Now.
One of the things Darren and I enjoy most about traveling (I would actually say THE thing Darren and I enjoy most about traveling…) is the food. On our first visit together to New York, I introduced him to one of my favorite spots on the Upper West Side: the legendary delicatessen called Zabar’s. […]
10 kinds of parked cars
This weekend I have been in the beautiful state of Montana, and, since it’s February, there is snow. And I mean SNOW. The world here is beautiful and snow covered and there are tall, tall piles of it on the side of the roads. All the roads. And so, snow plows are a necessary […]
Advice for Andrea – at 16.
This week, my nieces Andrea and Claire both turned sixteen! Sixteen is one of those ages that feels like such a big deal, even if it doesn’t come with any clear instructions. It’s a mix of new freedoms, new responsibilities, and honestly, a lot of unknowns. Most of my career was spent with 15- to […]
It was always him – and kairos.
We often think that readiness is what we need to achieve before something good can happen. We try to “get ready” for school or a trip, a job or a move, love, success, healing, etc.. But readiness alone doesn’t always lead to fulfillment – because timing matters just as much. There’s a term in ancient […]
What if we asked ourselves better questions?
In a recent study by Patricia Chen, Carol Dweck, and others, participants were asked these 6 questions: The researchers were trying to figure out why some people are more likely to take a strategic stance toward their goals and if this tendency (which they call a ‘strategic mindset’) can be cultivated. They differentiated a strategic […]
The Gathering – and creative possibility.
During my last year of college, I was fortunate enough to meet a red-headed spit fire of a friend named Meranda. She was from the rough and tumble town of Elko, Nevada, and she introduced me to one of the loves of my life: Cowboy Poetry. More specifically, to The Annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering that […]
Name and Number – 2024 version.
According to the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin, “For more than 15 years, Gabriel García Márquez worked on a story about the Buendía family and the town of Macondo. In the fall of 1965, with support from his family, friends, and members of the literary group La Mafia, […]
Contemplative Practice.
Like I mentioned in the previous post, my voice disappeared last week. It’s back now, mostly, but having absolutely no voice for almost 10 days gave me a lot of time for silence. Ironically – or not – and as uncomfortable as it is, silence is sometimes exactly what my personality needs. It’s the contemplative […]
