Like many others, I am near the end of March Madness. Four weekends of continuous college basketball for both men and women that will culminate in the NCAA Final Four tournaments next weekend. I explained this piece of American culture to my international student friends, and watched them nod their heads and say “ahhh” as if they got it. I knew they didn't. Casual fans become fully invested in the games. We root for archrivals when our team gets bounced. We talk about players and coaches as if Continue Reading
Lessons Learned in a Hospital Waiting Room
I spent nine hours in a surgical waiting room today and if that's not a lesson in perspective, nothing is. A microcosm of American culture. Young, old, different races and ethnicities, rich, poor and everything in between. This waiting room had five TVs, each turned to a different network, as if to oblige each party. Me? I sat in a quiet corner and observed. That's what I do. Along with my book, IPad, and knitting, but no need for TV with such interesting characters. I understood the woman in Continue Reading
Precious Lord, Take My Hand
When I started my blog in 2014, I vowed I would never write about politics or religion. Today, I am writing about both. Recently, every attempt I’ve made to write something light and personal has come out trivial and hollow, (more so than usual) so forgive me while I veer off course with this post. I was moved when I went to church on Sunday and we sang Martin Luther King Jr.’s favorite song, “Precious Lord, Take My Hand”. This song has never had the same impact on me as it did today, the day Continue Reading
2017 – Forward Bound
As I was write this from the balcony of the condo where we're staying in Gulf Shores, Alabama, the new year is just days away. Below us, waves are crashing onto the shore with gusto, and it's easy to get mesmerized by the motion. For every wave, there is an action and reaction - the thrust forward and the retreat back to sea. Again, and again, and again. And every time, the forward action creates far more energy than the retreating action. I am not a great believer in New Year's Continue Reading