Soon after I adopted my dog, Otis, my mom read the book “The Art of Racing in the Rain”by Garth Stein. It is a book told from the dog’s perspective. There is a scene in the book where the dog is trying to communicate something but recognizes that he isn’t capable of words. “Gestures…
The Oscars are on. Each person in the audience is there representing a story. These stories have so many elements to it-comedy, tragedy, struggle, bravery, and hope. Each of us have a story. There are many chapters to our stories and some of those chapters also contain these elements. There are some…
Over the past few days, I have been part of 2 birthday celebrations. These have me thinking of what a blessing that brings. Sometimes a birthday marks the time that has passed. We look at the number of candles on the cake, either literally or figuratively, and think of all that has happened…
Years ago I was talking with a colleague about student learning and she explained something I have thought of often. She stated that there are 3 zones we live in: our comfort zone, our growth zone, and our panic zone. In the context of learning, our comfort zone is doing something that is…
I am writing this from the airport in a city where I used to live. It’s been decades since this town was considered “home” for me, and I have been back a few times since then. My first time returning here it was shocking to see how much it had grown and how the skyline…
I am writing this on an airplane. One row in front of me is a father with a young daughter who is taking her first flight. It’s early and most of the plane is quiet, except for this excited traveler. She is pointing out all of the things she sees: “Look, daddy, the sun…
I was talking recently with someone about coping with travel delays. In that conversation, we evolved to talking about whether we display the same personality traits when we travel that we display in our daily lives. In my daily life, I can be a little uptight. Type A. There are rules that should…