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Gowns and Goals

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Her gown was like a rose: pearly pale-pink with the feel of nobility; mine was goldenrod with a royal blue trim.  Hers was plush, yet airy and playful; mine was heavy, worn, and steeped in tradition.  She unboxed hers in the living room with joyful whimsy; I released mine from the plastic bag trap in which it hung, sandwiched among old coats and dresses in a rarely visited closet packet with baseball cards, vinyl records, old shoes and such. We dressed… she giggled… then we walked down the well-traveled staircase to make our grand entrance and greet those in audience. Her gown never fails to fill her with delight. When I first got mine, it thrilled me... but, I confess, my delight has wained.  And if I were honest: As of late, I couldn’t care less about my gown.  That is, I couldn’t have cared less until she started to wear hers and I started to wear mine at the many spontaneous events we attended together. Her gown is magical and filled with possibilities....
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Foraging Wild Mushrooms: How My Obsession Began

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Strobilomyces sp. Old Man of the Woods
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CRIME AND PUNISHMENT: Lesson Learned

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I was guilty.  My crime?  Acting out of character.  This is my story. My Crime As I said… my crime was acting out of character.  More specifically, I am an introvert and I behaved like an extrovert.  Behaviors always have consequences.  While there are many definitions for the term 'introvert', suffice it to say it is a personality type describing people who find that crowds deplete their energy; thus 'introverts' need alone time to recharge. Introverts are not necessarily shy but, from the outside looking in, they appear so.  Extroverts are the opposite and derive energy from crowds; they wade into them with gusto and thrive.  Introversion and extroversion define preferences for how an individual engages the world, but a preference is not an excuse for behaving in one way when a circumstance requires another. Thus, when an occasion requires an introvert to act extrovertly, they should do s...
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Help Wanted

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Whether or not you are looking for a new job, consider this opportunity. Please. Here are some of the particulars: You can work from home, travel is discretionary, and you are a perfect fit.   This is a full time position you can ease into as time allows. There is no salary but lots of benefits. Before I make my formal offer, check out the following YouTube link; it's the beginning of the 1950’s TV show  The Adventures of Superman .  I share it because  thoughts of Superman created (in my mind) this job opportunity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2l4bz1FT8U Superman and Me During my formative years in the 1950s, my family had one TV; it had electronic tubes that needed to warm up before the black and white images would appear; I did, of course, sit too close to the screen... watching, mesmerized, as superman fought evil. Bad guys would plot and scheme bad things, from robberies to world domination, and Superman would thwart...
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A Value is a Verb: Four short musings

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I. Space and Time He sat reading a newspaper. He sat reading a newspaper in a park, under a tree, during the day, in the wonderfully warm sunlight, with a refreshing breeze blowing perfectly out of the east.   He noticed none of it.  He sat under a tree, in this most beautiful spot, at this most pleasant moment and, for him, they did not exist.   He was elsewhere; consumed in thought. His mind wandered randomly and rapidly—frustrations with personal matters large and small; anger at local, state and federal politicians for this and that; tearful sadness as he recalled the article about a cancer patient’s triumphs and succumbing. Now he salivates thinking about the recipe from last Sunday's edition-- Was it braised fennel and garlic? He was anywhere but where he was. If he were present, he would have noticed things: the tree, sun, and breeze; the blue blue sky; the green green grass, and the bloom of bright yellow flowers at his f...
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Walk with Ki

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After too many years behind a desk and an hour-long sedentary commute, I found myself out of shape and wanting to regain the youthful spring-in-my-step I once had. So, I started with a simple goal: Walk and don’t get hurt.  To avoid strains, pulls, and twists, I started by walking for short periods of time on level ground. With persistence, my walks became longer, the terrain more varied, and a gradual physical transformation reminded me of what I knew: Walking—simply walking—has remarkable health benefits. I lost weight; my blood pressure dropped; my aerobic condition improved, and I started to think more creatively. Walking Research affirms that walking is a wonderfully healthy activity for one’s mind and body.  And while 10,000 steps per day is an accepted target for good health, any amount of walking promotes good health. Research further suggests that walking in a woodland augments the health benefits of simply walking because, ...
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Sincerity on Active Duty: A true story of how a principal changed a school

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The classroom was stark and cold, and the radiators clanked and whistled to defeat the winter cold that poured in through closed and drafty windows. Gray-green walls, gray worn linoleum floors, and fluorescent lighting echoed the overcast sky, suffused the room, and mirrored the mood of the members of the school change team who gathered for their weekly meeting. They were depleted, not just from the demanding complex work of teaching, but from the additional challenge they shouldered to improve the school despite the naysayers and those who simply hid from anything that smacked of change... or work.   Undaunted, the principal led. My first reaction was one of sympathy for the team.  I thought:  Couldn’t she see how tired they are? She should give them a break. I was wrong. As I watched, my admiration for the principal grew. Her belief in the work and team was unflagging and, as she led, her knowledge, skills, energy, and since...
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