This is the story of how I overcame my fear of success and embraced the abundance I wanted and deserved. It's also how I began to understand the importance of mentors who take us under their wing and guide us towards our goals. "If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants." ~ Sir Isaac Newton It was early June in Chicago and even deep inside of the Delta lounge at O'Hare the humidity had managed to slither inside and make the leather chairs sticky with … [Read more...]
Losing My Focus and How I Found My Way Back Again
I didn't want to admit it to anyone, especially not to myself. For weeks I pretended that everything was alright and as it had been before. But down deep I knew something was very wrong. Losing my focus felt like I was losing my mind. It was worse than death because I was living through it each moment of every day and could not escape its grip. My mind would wander and I would exert every ounce of determination and mental toughness I could muster to pull it back in. It was as though I was … [Read more...]
Ain’t No Sunshine When He’s Gone
As I write this it is Father's Day in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, as these countries celebrate on the third Sunday in June. It is also observed on this same day in the countries of Qatar, Argentina, France, Greece, India, Ireland, Mexico, Pakistan, Singapore, and Venezuela, as well as almost a hundred more countries. In Egypt, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Syria and the United Arab Emirates the celebration of fathers is always on June 21st, coinciding with the summer solstice. … [Read more...]
It’s Just Another Day
It's Just Another Day, and How Great It Is! Years ago I remember a mentor telling me that I would not do many of the things I had planned in my life. One of these was to start my own non-profit for a cause related to children growing up in poverty in the United States. That had been my experience and I wanted to help other kids have an easier life throughout their childhoods, for a variety of reasons close to my heart. When I asked him to explain why he believed I would not be able to … [Read more...]
Black Patent Leather Shoes
It was the second week of school when the new girl arrived. Our class had just taken out the new social studies books when we heard people coming up the stairs. We went into slow motion, lifting up our desks in unison and choosing the second book from the top in the stack on the right side, and lowering the top ever so slowly so the sounds would not interfere with our eavesdropping. There was a lady talking and then a girl said something and we could only make out a word here and there. Then … [Read more...]
When People Lose Hope… and How to Help Them Find It Again
Hope begins deep in the heart and soul and mind and then flutters like a butterfly out the window and into the outside world. There, it can either motivate and inspire or fall on deaf ears. When people lose hope there will be unrest, at home and in the streets. So how can you make sure you always have hope in your heart and mind, for all occasions and in all instances? During 1733-34 English poet Alexander Pope, considered to be the foremost poet of the early eighteenth century penned a poem … [Read more...]
Four Rooms, Absent a View
It was the summer of 1977 and I had graduated from UCLA at the beginning of June. The world was my oyster, supposedly, though it didn't quite feel that way at the time. I was married with two young stepchildren and my future was up in the air. We had returned to south Florida the day after my graduation to be closer to his parents and sisters. Bob Green was a wonderful husband, devoted to taking care of me and the kids and providing what we wanted and needed with his work in construction. … [Read more...]
Spring Slides into Summer
It was innocent enough; I was checking out at the local market with a few things I needed for the special dinner I would prepare that evening. It was my daughter-in-law's birthday and it gave my family a reason to celebrate. Waiting until I was called forward, I placed my items on the conveyor belt and inched towards the register to pay. That's when I asked the checker how he was doing and he answered, "Well, I don't know..." His words hung in the air for what seemed like minutes before he … [Read more...]
Three Cars on the Highway
The telescope had been a birthday present during the summer of 2005. We took it outside to set it up because it was much too large and powerful for inside use. Once on the sidewalk and with instructions in hand I realized I just wasn't smart enough to figure it all out and neither were any of my family members. I stroked the large main tube. My fingertips encircled the eyepiece. I leaned in so close to the finderscope my nose brushed its side. Over the years we invited friends and neighbors … [Read more...]
I Didn’t Want to Live Through a Pandemic
But Making the Decision to Live Through a Pandemic Was an Easy Choice for Me... The pandemic caught me by surprise. Perhaps each of us can say this, but then we all think our situation is unique. I do know one thing; I didn't want to live through a pandemic. It was never on my bucket list and I had never given it a second thought. But here it is and my goal is to not only survive but to also accomplish some meaningful activities during this time, however long it lasts. On January 25th, 2020 … [Read more...]