I once had a boss who loved to use the phrase “Hope is not a strategy” to shut down coworkers during status meetings. If a team member used the word “hope,” as in “we hope this new campaign will…” or “we hope the new pricing will…,” he would interrupt with, “Hope is not a strategy.” While I never contradicted him[…]
On What IS…
Serenity comes when you trade expectations for acceptance. – Buddha When I get up in the morning, Charles is already awake and he always has coffee ready. I’ve learned to expect that, and I am grateful for it. But, if one day the coffee is not ready when I get up, do I have the right to be angry or[…]
On What Others Think; Like Father – Like Daughter…
My Daddy and I liked to ride horses. He taught me to ride. But that is not things we shared in common. On the night the above photo was taken, I had been indulging in another of our commonalities. After which I thought going barefoot after midnight through an artistic display of the Oklahoma land rush and hop on one[…]
On Dressing the Octopus…
Living this life is like trying to put a shirt on an octopus. Unless you have a custom shirt specifically designed to be worn by a cephalopod, along with a very compliant eight legged beast, your chance of success, as you define it, are very slim indeed. The task ends in frustration, and the octopus is still naked. Every morning,[…]
On Farewell to 2024 and the Usta Coulds…
As I say goodbye to 2024, I want to express my gratitude, and apologize for my impatience and grumbling. I entered 2024 disgruntled because 2023 didn’t turn out the way I wanted to. My heart surgeon did not finish the job I hired him to do (replace two valves) in September and I was… shall we say… slightly, uhm… PISSED[…]
On Unicorns and Rainbows…
“It’s not all unicorns and rainbows,” someone says to point out that whatever they are going through isn’t all fun and games and they shouldn’t expect it to be. Whatever it is might be college, a job, or raising kids or just a random Tuesday afternoon. The point being, we have to live in reality and not be all “woo[…]
On My Heart (A Series) … Here We Go Again
A year ago next Tuesday is the anniversary of my open heart surgery to replace my leaking aortic and mitral valves. As it turned out, the surgeon made a (poor) judgment call and decided the mitral was not bad enough to replace. I say this again, not because you may have forgotten that I mentioned it several dozen times in[…]
On Turning 60 Part VI (Getting Angry, Then Getting Over It)…
Charles and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary this week in the Great Smoky Mountains. We rented an AirBNB on a small family farm outside Gatlinburg, where the owner provides farm fresh eggs, goat milk soap and other natural products from her garden and animals. The cute one bedroom cabin was decorated with bears and Dolly Parton themed pillows and[…]
On Dreams…
The only thing that remains the same is that things change.
On Turning 60 Part V (The Body Snatchers)
Drive by my house on any sunny day, and this is what you will see. The picture above is me looking over my garden, taken secretly (see, without permission) by my little brother. He didn’t bother to honk or give me a heads up so I could smooth my gray frizz or duck behind the compost bin like someone yelled[…]