Hello, dear Reader! I'm "hanging out" at the KIA dealership while my car gets ready for my cross country drive from east to west. I was full of ideas of what I wanted to write as I drove here this morning. I also was thinking how the point of these essays is to share some of my hard-earned wisdom. At the same time, it helps to remind me of life's lessons. The word prepare comes directly from the Latin word praeparare, meaning "to make ready beforehand" -- direct and straight

Hello, dear Reader. The end of summer is rapidly approaching. It may be four weeks away officially, but once we get to the final days of August, it doesn't feel like summer any more. Let's soak up the last few weeks and days and get ready to rock the fall! I'm going to make this nice and short this week. Recently, a line from a 1976 Bob Marley song caught my eye and took hold of me: "Make way for the positive day, 'Cause it's news" The first thing I thought of was how delight

Several years ago, 13 or 14, I met a lovely, young woman at a conference for entrepreneurs. I had started to attend these meetings five or six years before, and I fell in love with the energy of it all. I was starting up my own coaching/consulting business on the side, but what I really adored was all the wonderful people I met. I suppose they were like-minded souls with a sense of adventure and a curiosity about building and becoming more. I made so many friendships in these

Happy end of July, dear Reader! Another month done in 2026 and the summer is winding down. Last weekend was a BIG birthday celebration for me, and it was delightful. A warm, but not too hot, sunny day, poolside with friends that have been in my life for over 65 years -- who could ask for anything more?!? Now, as I was sitting down to write this post, the stars and planets aligned and the topic of today came to me with ease and grace. As I was thinking about how much our lives

My dear reader, I must start with a confession. I sat at my desk for quite some time before finally starting to write this post. I tend to be a neat and organized person in my home; however, my desk often has little pieces of paper with quotes or random ideas scribbled on them. They are all potential topics, but what might have piqued my interest one day doesn't always inspire me on another. I pulled out a few of those pitches for a hopefully interesting essay and came up emp

Hello, hello, dear Reader! I'm back from my third trip this year and while I'm happy to stay in Boston through the summer, I'm also looking forward to my annual stay with my daughter in southern Oregon in the fall. At the same time, I'm exploring possible winter jaunts to different parts of Europe. I used to write a lot about the joys of travel years ago, pre Covid, when I often went on journeys outside of the U.S. Often I'd go for a retreat or seminar and then meander. I lo

Greetings, dear Reader. As this post goes out I will be embarking on another trip. There was a time when I traveled out of the country at least twice a year. I loved my trips and I must admit, I took my travels for granted. Of course I would return to Paris or spend a month in Portugal or have a decadent retreat in Tuscany -- that's what I "did". When my foreign travels stopped abruptly, there was a good reason -- COVID. As a nurse, I was deeply involved in the pandemic and m

Late spring greetings, dear Reader. I'm still gushing about all the lush signs of spring here in New England. What a reminder of resilience! I'll be honest with you -- I had no idea what to write about this week. Sometimes I have so many ideas, I have a hard time picking just one. Not this week. I almost decided to just re-post something I wrote a few years ago, although even that wasn't really coming together for me. Then, I heard something on a podcast and I knew, this was

A big, Spring hello, dear Reader! I have been enjoying my neighborhood walks more than ever with all the blooms popping every day. It's my favorite season in New England. Check out my recent Instagram posts. The title of today's post is a quote from Aristotle and it relates to my love of travel. Before the world shut down in 2020, I would often take two or three trips a year. Flights between Boston and Europe were especially convenient. One year I convinced myself that since

Welcome to April, dear Reader! It's still quite chilly here in New England, however, a few hearty little flowers are bravely starting to bloom. It's such a lovely time of year here, even if the weather still keeps us guessing. At least once, quite a while ago, and maybe more, I've written about the danger in always comparing oneself to others. Social media has turned it into a blood sport with seemingly no good outcomes. According to research, 60% or more young people struggl