Again What wish would you make for a child who has come to mean something significant to you if the two of you were having to take your leave of each other after spending a year together, working closely? One of my favorite young actresses, Cate Elefante, just finished her time as part of the […]
A Scientist Swallowed His Research and More: SmartBrief July 2019
Was July supposed to be a relaxing summer month? If so, I missed out on the relaxing. (I did sneak in a quick trip to Tampa to see Hugh Jackman in concert, though. What a treat to see such a consummate artist and spend time with a friend.) I spent the rest of the month […]
Flash Fiction: Late-night Snack
MIDDLE: It felt like he had been asleep for hours. Ben rolled over, looked at the clock on his phone, and realized it had only been half an hour. Would sleep come again? He contemplated checking on the kids, remembered he had a monitor that would take care of that. He thought about reading a […]
Abortion rights: 5 minutes, 3 choices, 1 result
A 19-item bulleted list containing fun things Margot has to look forward to, such as the prom and a trip to Hawaii. The list is what appears on the whiteboard in Margot’s room in the film “Five Minutes” by Darby Wilson. Margot’s list of important things rapidly shrinks to the one result she’ll find out […]
The Eyes Don’t Always Have It
“Eye contact is a powerful force.” John Millen says this in Why eye contact matters so much. Millen has a point. He explains the importance of making eye contact (for American culture) in presentations and face-to-face meetings. He also provides tips for improving eye contact skills, such as maintaining eye contact until you finish making […]
Five Minute Friday: TAKE
TAKE: My children had birthdays recently. My daughter turned 23, and my son turned 20. Just like that, NO MORE TEENAGERS IN THE FAMILY. This milestone felt so big to me. Not in a bad way, but in a reflective way. The days between June 26, 1996 and July 1, 2019 were excruciatingly long. The […]