Daring to dream

A dear friend recently celebrated a milestone birthday.  After the food was eaten, wine drunk, toasts offered and dessert served, my friend rapped her glass for attention. She had a toast of her own to make, and, in the process, offered a word of wisdom.  Follow your dream, she said, and told of something she…

Read More

How we got a cover for BLUEPRINTS

  If you’re reading this blog, you’re currently looking at the cover of my new book, BLUEPRINTS, which debuts this coming June. What do you think? Does the cover draw you in? This isn’t an idle question. It’s one that my publisher and I have been asking ourselves since this cover became “the one.” We…

Read More

Lean on me

Do you remember that song?  “Lean on me … when you’re not strong … I’ll be your friend … I’ll help you carry on …”  It was written by Bill Withers in 1972 and is still being played, and no wonder.  The message is right there in the words, no pussy-footing around.  I also think…

Read More

Are you healthier eating organic?

Since one of the protagonists in Sweet Salt Air (my coming book) is a die-hard locavore, I was naturally interested in this.  Not that a locavore necessarily eats organic.  By definition, a locavore buys and eats food that is locally produced – food produced by local farmers and sold in local markets – but since…

Read More

The pre-reqs of public speaking

What makes a good public speaker?  A strong voice?  Lotsa guts?  The gift of gab? If you guessed any of these, you’d be right, but they’re the tip of the iceberg – literally, only the part you see.  When I talk before a group, there’s much more involved, and since I’m flying across the country…

Read More

When to take the car keys from elderly parents

I need to write about this, if only to get it off my chest.  There was a piece on Nightly News recently – actually, it aired on February 16 and has haunted me ever since.  How do you know, Brian Williams asked, when the time comes to take the car keys away from elderly parents? …

Read More

The humiliation of airport security

I fly often and am pretty immune to security demands, but yesterday was the worst.  My husband and I were going through security at Reagan National in Washington, D.C.  I had loaded the bins with my coat, my scarf, my boots, and my liquids.  When I approached the scanner, the security guard (male) indicated that…

Read More

Downtime

I did nothing last weekend.  Nothing.  And it was hard.  I am fully serious when I say that.  I’m not used to doing nothing.  I kept jumping up,ready to do laundry or pay bills or check email or blog.  For me, doing is a visceral thing. I’m a workaholic, but you may have already guessed…

Read More

The best and worst of 2011

Christmas was barely done when the media began rating 2011.  Best movie of 2011, best health news of 2011, best business moment, best style trend … you name it, there’s a list.  This was pretty much what inspired my survey this week – the one I post every Tuesday on my Facebook page.  “My 2011?”…

Read More

Big damage at a book signing

I kid you not.  It happened yesterday in West Hartford, Connecticut, where I did an UPLIFT signing at Lyn Evans Potpourri Designs. Don’t know the name?  If you live in New England, you likely do.  There are eight of these stores in Massachusetts and Connecticut; they are specialty boutiques that carry chic clothes for women…

Read More