Observations on people and life and the lessons we learn along the journey...
The other day, author Mary Laura Philpott posted on Twitter that (paraphrasing) “If anyone needs their mother right now, and she is not available, I have more mothering to spare…” I’m very fortunate to have my mother available to me. We talk almost daily and it’s such a blessing she lives only a few miles …
You rummage through your closet looking for something to wear and realize it’s all mostly all black clothing (guilty). Sure, that can make you feel like you’re stuck in a rut. But what about the bigger rut, sometimes even a trench, of feeling stuck in your life choices? Here are three things to inspire you …
Here we are at that point in January where the shiny enthusiasm of a New Year’s Resolution might have faded, but the Kondo-closet-cleaning, new exercise and eating routines, or even finding new Netflix shows to binge may all still be on the to-do list. While I have cleaned out some of my bathroom drawers (does …
Christine Warren exudes energy. She’s fun and funny; she has a can-do attitude and has always been great at motivating people. I’ve known Christine since 7th grade, and we also attended college together (Go Tarheels!). She worked for years in marketing, then left the corporate world to pursue writing full-time. Her two books, Paddlefish, about …
My husband Bill gave me the Christmas gift of sharing one of my favorite Christmas stories: his true-life account of the Miracle on Cemetery Lane. I had to persuade him to do it, but he finally relented and I’m happy to share his guest post with you today. May you experience some miracles this season, …
The last time I was in a parade, I was five years old. It started raining, and my father jumped into the parade to shelter me with his umbrella. I got to march along in my little majorette outfit, oblivious to the rain. Happy memories of being in a Christmas parade, long ago. That was …
Since this season is one of gift-giving, I am reposting this piece on Jolabokaflod in case you’re interested in starting this reading tradition with your family or friends. I hope you do! ************************************************************************ My husband likes to tear out newspaper articles for the rest of the family to read. Sometimes he forwards email newsletters on …
Thanksgiving reminds us about being grateful. And when we are sitting around the holiday table, it might be easy to come up with a few big things we’re grateful for, like “the food we eat,” or, “this family/group of people.” But we’re all better off when we can keep a mindset of gratitude all throughout …
Stacia Freeman is a ball of energy. And positivity. She’s fun and funny, warm and witty. She’s the mother of eight — yes, eight!– children. And as if that’s not enough to keep her busy, she founded a nonprofit called Epic Girl that works to empower young women to find their inner strengths. How does …
I have a friend who said whenever she got into the car for a trip, her mother would offer, “precious cargo, precious cargo.” That was her way of saying, “be careful; drive cautiously — you are my precious cargo.” I have another friend who wore a St. Christopher’s medallion when we went off to college. …
The other day when I was grocery shopping, there was a little boy running around in his Superman costume. He was having a ball fake-flying around, clutching his cape with chubby hands and making it lift in the air behind him. You couldn’t help but smile. And it made me think of my older son, …
Lexie Armstrong is bubbly and fun. She’s an easy conversationalist; you just like being around her. But the more you get to know her, the more fascinating she is. Lexie sought out playing polo because of her love of horses, and through that sport, she met her husband (a professional polo player). She’s an accomplished …
When I sat down with Mike Reid, I thought we would talk about songwriting and music, with some football in the mix. After all, he played football at both Penn State and then for the Cincinnati Bengals. Post- football, he launched a songwriting career that includes such hits as Stranger In My House for Ronnie …
Years ago, our family took a trip to beautiful Blue Ridge, Georgia. One day, we rented two kayaks and a canoe to float down the Toccoa River. We found a little mom and pop operation for these rentals. The man at the store said it should take us about an hour and a half to …
I started following Scott Young’s blog several years ago when I worked for YouScience, a company that sold an online aptitude test (if you aren’t familiar with YouScience, you should check it out. It’s an amazing resource). When I stumbled upon Scott’s site and learned about his MIT Challenge, all I could think was, “who …
Fall is my season of a New Year. Yes, I know January has the branding for it, but the start of school year is so ingrained in me that I always think of the fall season as a time to establish new routines, new patterns of organization, or new ways of self-reflection, like starting a …
I don’t remember exactly when the rubber chicken came into our lives. Random objects appear haphazardly in the playroom. Don’t you wonder where all that stuff comes from? One day, you rifle through the toy chest looking for some type of make-shift costume for a preschool theme day. (Why are there so many costume theme …
There once was a little girl who would often accompany her father to work. On the car ride, they would pass by a big, beautiful castle with a medieval edifice. She would stare at this castle and imagine the prince or princess who lived there. One day, she asked her father about it. “Daddy, who …
Recently I had a conversation with someone about what truly matters. Which led me to think about this life quiz composed by Leo Buscaglia. It’s from his book Born For Love, and he called it a Love Quiz. But I think it’s a litmus test for how you are doing at life. My mother introduced …
Picture this: you walk into an elevator, and there’s already someone on it. It’s a man and he’s standing right in front of the buttons. He doesn’t turn and ask you “what floor?” but stares straight ahead. Or maybe he clicks around on his phone. You step forward, reach around him a bit, and push …
I love to think about the hidden meaning behind certain words or behaviors. Isn’t that the fun of watching crime dramas, to determine who’s lying and why? That’s partly what led me to my majoring in psychology in college. Understanding the impulses and beliefs that drive human behavior was always fascinating to me. Even now, …
A friend of mine recently turned me onto the blog Sean of the South, written by author Sean Dietrich. He writes personal, interesting essays about everyday life and people told through his insightful and humorous viewpoint. There’s also a Sean of the South podcast. I instantly liked his writing (he blogs daily) before I knew …
The great American family road trip is a rite of passage. Here’s a fun scavenger hunt you can play to help pass the time and keep your sanity.
Years ago, I had a Pilates client who became a dear friend of mine. She was in her 70’s (and later, 80’s) and came to see me twice a week. When she was getting ready to celebrate her 50th wedding anniversary, I told her I wanted her wisdom. “What’s the secret to such a long …
In the movie trailer for Yesterday, a struggling singer/songwriter wakes up to a world where no one remembers the Beatles. I don’t completely understand what happened that led to the eradication of all Beatles music. It looks like some world-wide power outage occurred and all computers lost all data. And I guess no one remembers …
When you wander off the beaten path, you discover the bliss of backroads.
The guy buckles me into the harness. This is really happening. Can I tell them to just put away my parachute? I look over at my son next to me. He is all grins. I look up at the sky. There are only two clouds. Behind me, the bright parachute billows. My heart is racing. …
Jill Block shares about rebranding widowhood, working in the Nashville music industry, and raising boys. She shares her thoughts on what it means to be resilient and write new chapters for your life.
“I’m okay, I’m just in a funk right now.” Recently a friend and I had a discussion about getting into a “funk.” We agreed that what puts one person into a funk may be far different from another. And, we contemplated how time and life experience can help, as the things we used to fret …
Guy Clark sings that there are “only two things that money can’t buy — and that’s true love and home-grown tomatoes.” Growing up, I was never the tomato fan that Guy was. My grandmother would set a plate in front of me, the plate that offered the noxious fruit disguised as a vegetable. “MeMe (pronounced …
Comedian Karen Mills knows a thing or two about challenges. But her grit has served her well. At 5-2″, she played basketball at UT-Chattanooga, leading the nation in assists (“the tall people need somebody to pass the ball to ’em”) and becoming the first UTC Athlete (male or female, in any sport) to receive the …
I met George Cassidy at a James Bond costume party in 2008. Our mutual friend Jennifer Puryear of the wonderful blog Bacon on the Bookshelf (you should follow it if you’re not already) introduced us and suggested we try co-writing together (thanks, Jennifer!). George and I did start songwriting together, and over the years I …
Don’t underestimate Kelly King. She may fool you with her easy-going demeanor, her sunny nature, her down-to-earth attitude. But she’s sneaky- smart, and she’s used her brains along with her go-getter spunk to rise up the ranks of Nashville’s music industry, heading up her own successful publishing company, King Pen Music. King Pen’s roster includes …
Growing up, we loved our pets: a sweet long-haired Chihuahua named Samantha and a temperamental white cat named Guinevere (her brother, Lancelot, had found another home) whom we nicknamed “kitty.” We had our share of hiccups as pet-owners. Kitty was a hunter and one day ran into the house with a pet parakeet stuffed in …
Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is a common phrase these days, but the phenomenon has been around way before Instagram pictures could incite envy in those left out. Even being separated into a group can lead to FOMO. Comedian John Mulaney has a great joke about his elementary school dividing the kids into two different …
There’s a magical place in northern Tanzania straight out of a National Geographic special. Here, the waters of Mt. Kilimanjaro flow through a hidden village. People can well this water and have it in their homes. Every plant and flower is medicinal. There are 35 different kinds of bananas. The villagers make your Arabica coffee from scratch, …
I’m late to the party, but I just watched The Notebook. I’m not sure how this Nicholas Sparks classic evaded me. (Spoiler alert: you can skip this paragraph if you don’t want me to ruin the plot of the movie for you). I love a good tearjerker. Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling are electric as young …
You are at a charity gala with your husband. You are in a ballgown and he’s wearing tails. It’s the end of a lovely spring evening, and the two of you decide it’s time to head home. You wait for the car at the valet stand when some other couples (who are unmarried friends and acquaintances of yours) …
I walked up the steps of the brownish-brick ranch house and rang the doorbell. A mom with a short haircut answered. “I’m here to see…” I hesitated, realizing I didn’t know Miss Kentucky’s name. “I’m here to see your daughter.” She got a bemused expression on her face as she looked me up and down. The baggies …
O.C. tip-toed as quietly as he could through the muggy Alabama night. Or at least as quietly as one can while carrying a ladder. He was at the home of his beloved: sweet, shy, bright-eyed Willie. His mission was to steal her away and make her his wife. Wille’s stepfather was an overbearing man who made many …
Several years ago, we visited some good friends in Atlanta. We got a sitter one night so the grown-ups could go out. After eating at the lively Yacht Club (an ironic name; they serve tater tots) in Little Five Points, we walked over to Star Bar to hear a rockabilly band. As we strolled along, …