I’m the first to admit that I was a full supporter of bribing my children. If I could get them to clean their rooms or complete a chore list without nagging them, I was ready to celebrate. The nagging took up so much time that the need to eliminate it became a series of consequences and ...

As 2025 comes to a close, I think about all the New Year’s resolutions that I will make and break in record time. For me, there are better ways to try to enact change. One practice, in business or at home, I can make happen is having a closing reflection. In work sessions, having participants ...

As an elementary teacher, my mother could string together colorful phrases using the names of fourth-grade art supplies, just to avoid a “swear word.” She had strict rules on what was allowed to be said and what was considered poor manners. I would write them all here, but the list is ...

What in all the Christmas crackers? I just learned that the Christmas carol “O Tannenbaum” actually means O fir tree, not the English translation of “O Christmas Tree.” What the what, what? The sad part is I’ve been living in my own off-key caroling world, not understanding the ...

I was staying with a friend while she was expecting her first child. We had had similar troubles staying pregnant, and I was there for moral support while she navigated through another pregnancy. Everything became about superstitions, as if these patterns and rituals would finally get her ...

Over the past few weeks, I have been fortunate not to have been involved in any accidents. I am one of the lucky ones. I have been involved in wildlife near misses, assisting others and needing a tow. All that happened in November. It also got me a new pair of snow tires for Christmas. It’s ...