Life Lessons

So much regrettable behavior is born of fear. Because we fear being judged for all kinds of reasons from all kinds of sources, we sometimes neglect to be “real,” to expose our personal “lack.” It can be lack of specific knowledge, experience, money, things, or “important” friends. Yes, and this fear of exposing our vulnerability…

People refer to exploring what lies beneath the surface. A duck seems to glide across the water, but if you look beneath the calm surface his webbed feet are paddling like crazy. What lies beneath is often unseen effort or even struggle. He works harder than we think to move forward and to make it…

My plan was to write about something much more serious today, but what the heck! The Barbie doll was introduced to America in 1959, when I was seven years old. Although I had a houseful of beautiful dolls of all sorts, I never owned a Barbie. Mother determined her to be “obscene.” Perhaps she knew…

I never would have thought it to be true. In fact, for almost the first two decades of my life, I barely thought of it, and certainly didn’t understand it. But in every generation, there comes a time when there is nothing more important than being one. Were it not so, there probably would have…

I admit that I can sometimes be suggestible. Yea verily I say unto you, I am often the online marketer’s dream. Mother used to say with a sigh, “Barbara, your problem is you keep trusting the wrong people.” My response was, “No, Mother, I try to trust everyone. I try to give the benefit of…

I was so proud of my dad’s behavior at his funeral! That mortician who fixed him up did an absolutely fantastic job! Honestly, Dad looked better than he had in years. His bushy eyebrows were trimmed up a bit, something he would never permit in life because he knew they aggravated the heck out of…

Is it a failing, or is it a calling that must be fulfilled, that daily interrupts the targets and goals I set for myself? I know I must be responsible for settling the estate and for finding a way to make myself independently financially sufficient. I know when I stick to the task at hand,…

Who doesn’t love a rainbow? Even without an understanding of physics or knowing the historic cultural background of the rainbow, we automatically view it as miraculous. In my house, I have crystals hanging in windows both east and west. In the morning they fill my upstairs hallway and I can hold a rainbow in my…

It happened two nights ago. I know it’s odd, but for years I’ve complained about inexplicably losing consciousness while trying to accomplish life. Other people call it falling asleep. So, what happened? I fell asleep. More precisely, I awoke from a sleep I hadn’t realized I’d fallen into. I think it was the uncomfortable, slouchy…

I apologize. I just posted the address I gave in 2022, but then found this one and wanted to post it, as well. Obviously, I feel strongly about recognizing the humanity of our heroes. As Mayor, I should be writing about what we are trying to accomplish for the town. That is my plan. Because…