Spending a weekend with my mom shows me the brighter side of the coin: how joyful it is to just be together and have fun. We spend more time sewing seeds than trimming branches. More time painting vision’s for the future than spreading balm on the wounds of the past. I love that about my mom. Even when I was a child, she took what I said seriously. I think it gave me faith in my voice that saved me in the foggier moments.
Mother’s Day Haiku
The noblest love Through shopping trips, crying fits Mom always means Home
Muti, Uchida & Mozart
“What do you think about when you’re listening?” I asked my Mom during intermission. We were at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra: Muti, Uchida & Mozart. […]
The Magical Mumbo Jumbo
Do you remember when the book The Secret came out? I was in high school when I remember the craze. Every time I checked the book out of the library for a patron I really just wanted to know what the secret was. One of my friends read it and loved it and tried to explain. But I didn’t get it. It sounded like magical mumbo jumbo and this from the girl who would do nearly anything to believe in magic.
The Spiral
My coworker described it like this to me a while ago: it’s a spiral, revolving around a fixed point but we’re at a different vantage each time we come around. I can read the same sentence and it takes on new layers of meaning with another six months of life and experience.
Solitude
Cal Newport argues in his book Digital Minimalism that our modern technology and social media addictions have led to “Solitude Deprivation: a state in which you spend close to zero time alone with your own thoughts and free from input from other minds.”
Closet Purge
This coming week we’re doing a “stuff swap” at work. Hosted by our sustainability committee, this is an opportunity to bring in gently used clothes, […]
Nice Acrostics
Last weekend I received an unexpected card from two of my best friends. They sent it in solidarity for April 21 and the love and gratitude I felt had me crying on the edge of my bed.
What if I would’ve shown up?
I’ve watched Brené Brown’s Netflix special, The Call to Courage, twice so far since it aired two weeks ago. I consider Brown one of my core teachers and the special synthetizes all her main ideas about vulnerability, connection, leadership, and what it means to be brave and show up in your life.
Interview Advice from an HR Director
I’m the Director of HR at a small software company and we’re ramping up some hiring again. It’s on the brain, so I thought I’d share a couple of quick to-dos (and don’ts) I’ve observed for all current and future job seekers: