This was inspired by a writing prompt given by one of the colleges one of my students is applying to. It is not a thorough interview, just one aspect. 1) You have clearly done quite a few jobs in your life. Was that by design or did that just happen? I started out as a…
Tag: relationships
Friends, Strangers, and the Secret to Long Life
I just watched a TED Talk by psychologist Susan Pinker called “The Secret to Living Longer May Be Your Social Life.” She says the number one predictor for longevity is social integration—not just close relationships with family and friends, but also all those day-to-day connections with people in your community. That means everyone from your…
Letting Go of the White Horse
Over the past few days, I’ve spoken with several people who are carrying heavy emotional loads. One is a parent, deeply worried about an adult child in serious trouble. Another is a friend, watching helplessly as someone close to them faces a terminal illness. In both cases, the operative word is worry. Worry, by definition,…
Advice to a Lonely Uber Driver
A couple of weeks ago, I took the train into L.A. and caught an Uber from the Burbank Amtrak Station. During the twenty-five-minute ride to my destination, my driver and I ended up having a straight-to-the-heart conversation about his love life—or, more accurately, his lack of one. It started innocently enough. He asked about my…
Marriage, Anger, and the Art of Growth
I have a long fuse, but once it burns out—watch out. Just ask my husband. I’m calm and forgiving up to a point, and then—bam! I go straight to mad. And not just irritated, but (as we say in Texas) pure-D angry. I’m working on not being such a hothead, but it comes pretty naturally….
25 Things I’ve Learned about Life
I wrote this a while ago, but believe it’s worthy of reposting. If you’re reading it, then it’s because you are a friend or a part of my family. Whatever the case, consider this written for you. To my daughters, their partners, my grandkids, my nieces and nephews, brother, cousins, and anyone else in my…
Prompt: What Lesson Have You Learned about Love?
The best lesson I’ve learned about love is that the greatest gift I can give another person is to stop whatever I’m doing, really listen to what the other person is saying, and then make the added effort to see the world through that person’s eyes. That is easier said than done, especially if the…
The Storm
Lightening jags in the dark sky “I never meant to,” he says. Strong winds quake the nearby oaks “So long a wait,” she says. The air swirls with sweet promise “I’m sorry,” he says. Raindrops ping on the tin porch roof “At last,” she says. Thunder booms and rattles the windows “Forgive me,” he says….
20 Minutes a Day 