-
May I Have Your Attention Please
I’m bein’ followed by a moon shadow. –Cat Stevens When was the last time you stared at the moon? Or listened to the chatter of the birds? Or the wind in the trees? What about noticing the pattern made by cracks in the sidewalk? Or the coolness of the cotton pillow beneath your head? These details of the present moment add richness to our lives. They surround us constantly…weaving in and out of our consciousness. A description of life from 30,000 feet doesn’t hold a candle to a gritty account of the details that engage all our senses. Even in response to a simple How was your day? But being here now isn’t easy in a world that is…
-
Vade Mecum
vade mecum —noun something a person carries about for frequent or regular use. a book for ready reference; manual; handbook. Luggage sets come with some large bags and at least one small one to be used as a carry-on. We naturally divide things for a journey. Which items will we need handy? Which are relegated to checked luggage? Understanding our vade mecum can provide insight into what is most important to us. And, what we’re most dependent on. Things we think we can’t live without. Sure, it includes the obvious…wallet, phone, house keys. What else? When you’re packing for a trip, what makes it under the seat in front of you? Is there a…
-
It’s Time We Talked About Them
Now, some might say I’m a stickler when it comes to the liberal use of pronouns. And, I’ll concede that perhaps the moniker is earned. The topic of pronouns is appropriate to Mother’s Day as my mother was ever vigilant regarding our grammar. In my defense, I’m less a proponent of the conservative use of pronouns and more an advocate for clear communication. In a world where our exchanges are often stripped of non-verbals, emotional tone, and, in some cases, semi-silent letters (e.g. thx, tho, thru), it’s never been more important to avail ourselves to the remaining tools and rules of effective discourse. Pronouns, like other short cuts, are born of familiarity and…
-
Data to Wisdom
Lately there has been a great deal of emphasis placed on data. We are inundated with up to the minute statistics. Percentage points gained and lost on political campaigns, standardized test scores, and municipal crime rates fill our news feeds. The media has embraced a philosophy that maintains adding a data point legitimizes any story. The implication being that res ipsa loquitur…the “data” speaks for itself. While data in the form of facts and figures is important, it is only part of a story. Adding context to data give us information…more illuminating that simple data. Add the passage of time, and information becomes knowledge. In this way, we moved from data as singular facts,…
-
There I Am Again
Often, one of the consequences of a heart attack is a low-fat diet. This has proven true in my household. As a result of actually following his doctors’ orders, my husband has lost 15+ pounds. To give him full credit, it was 17.5 pounds in four weeks. Now you might think I would be delighted in his progress. It’s a logical assumption. And I am truly grateful he has taken his recovery program to heart (as it were). But over the last few weeks, as the pounds continued to drop off, I began to get irritated. There is a part of me that liked being the leaner one in the relationship. Almost as…
