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People, of course, are an inspiration in writing articles such as this on a regular basis - what they do, how they think and who they are. As is art, in all forms, especially songs. Donning headphones, I listened to a few different and stirring renditions of “The Prayer” with music by David Foster and lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager. David described this as “a song that I just never get tired of playing, I never get tired of hearing it. And it seems to mean a lot to a lot of people. It’s a powerful piece of music. I think it came through me and I think Carole’s lyric is beautiful. It was a moment—that song was a moment for sure.” CLICK ON THE TITLE ABOVE TO CONTINUE READING

Just as real momentum was gaining on climate change discussions among the informed, the world lay crippled by Coronavirus. Suddenly with hundreds of millions of lives immediately at risk, the focus necessarily shifted. Climate change discussions and policy considerations were put on the back burner. CLICK ON THE TITLE ABOVE TO CONTINUE READING

Two long-time business associates who had become friends at some point along the way, sat at a quiet corner table fully engaged in conversation. We carved out this time from busy schedules to be together and we approached it eagerly and with anticipation. There is great respect, professionally and personally between us. Enough respect to have devoted this time just to talk, to listen, to share and, in that moment, to be there with and for one another. [Please click on the title above to continue reading.]

I will get down on my knees and pray. My hands are folded reverently in front of me. I stare at them. They’re not yours, they are my own. What is it that they did today, these hands? What do they say about my day, about me? [PLEASE CLICK ON THE TITLE ABOVE TO CONTINUE READING]

“So, here’s the thing”, she said. “The real demarcation between the end of one day and the beginning of the next is 3:37 am, not midnight. That’s the time when all stragglers from the night before are off the roads and the farmers and bakers are just starting their day.” OK, so admittedly this is the perspective shared with me by a patrol officer working the graveyard shift. CLICK ON THE TITLE ABOVE TO CONTINUE READING

diet \ di·et \ n … derived from the Greek word diaita meaning “way of living” 2: something provided or experienced repeatedly

The Mediterranean Diet is one of the healthiest, most practical eating plans out there. While the foods are essential, they’re responsible for only a part of the health benefits. It’s the way of living part that is equally beneficial and often overlooked. For those of you who say “just tell me what to eat”, you can stop reading right here. [to continue reading, click on the title above]

It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that the studies for nutritional labeling were initiated by our government during World War II to assure that military personnel would receive ‘superior nutrition’! Today, the terms are dizzying – Estimated Average Requirements, Recommended Dietary Allowances, Adequate Intake, Tolerable Upper Intake Levels, Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges, Dietary Reference Values and on and on. [Click on the title above to continue reading]

Twenty years ago, I met with a talented young woman who very capably ran our Graphic Arts department. She had requested a meeting with me to “explore” the ramifications of pursuing her dream to move to Hawaii and be the artist she is. She had not yet committed to this direction, at least not to anyone other than herself. While I am sure she was curious about some assurances about a “fall back” position if things didn’t quite work out, I offered only enthusiastic encouragement. I shared with her a story to illustrate my whole-hearted support for what she was contemplating. She left my office, then left the company, never gazing back at that former career. I sit here now, smiling, as I recount that episode in our lives. [TO CONTINUE READING, CLICK ON THE TITLE ABOVE]

Years ago, I sat with my then teenage son at the window counter of a coffeehouse on Trafalgar Square, content to just people watch. He turned and asked me something like: “what are the odds I’ll see someone from my high school class in this throng”? Knowing he wasn’t looking for a response on the statistical probability, I smiled at my own thoughts triggered by that question – what are the odds I would even recognize anyone from my high school class if they were now walking by this window 35 years later? And then I laughed out loud – heck the entire class could be marching in front of me and I might not recognize anyone! [PLEASE CLICK ON THE TITLE ABOVE TO CONTINUE READING]

I remember words to songs, but not lines to movies. In my years with this column I have oft written of songs that have impacted me, but not of any movies or shows. That changes today. Native America is a four-part PBS series that challenges everything we thought we knew about the Americas before and since contact with Europe. It travels through 15,000-years to showcase massive cities, unique systems of science, art, and writing and 100 million people connected by social networks and spiritual beliefs spanning two continents. The series reveals some of the most advanced cultures in human history and the Native American people who created them and whose legacy continues. It is wonderfully presented and enthusiastically endorsed. [CLICK ON THE TITLE ABOVE TO CONTINUE READING]