When Triathletes Commission a Painting
August is a month of pilgrimage for Americans. It’s the month we return to our holidays of choice, the special places we feel most alive or inspired to be free. August is when we return to places that nourish us, even if that’s just gardening at home. We enjoy that collective breath before the rush […]
Pretender Friends
Let me first admit that Jackson Browne’s lyrics from “The Pretender” inspired the title of this one. I met M years ago in Canada*. When I told her I would be visiting for a month to write a book, M was overjoyed. Near the end of the month, we had made many good memories together. […]
Lifelong Friends
You know that moment when a stranger reveals something a little different from the crowd? And in that moment, when they look a little vulnerable, you stop and look at them twice and think, “You, too?! I thought it was just me . . .”* I thought it was just me who painted model civil […]
The Lawn Lady Doesn’t Know Me
Let’s talk about how friendship is different from business contacts. Friends are simply people you know well enough that you’re happy being yourself. The more you know them, the safer you feel to be you. You may not reveal all your secrets, but you can be your back-porch self with them. When your honest self shows […]
Like Father, Like Son
In honor of the good fathers out there. We don’t have a family night. It’s not because we are too busy or because we think it’s a bad idea. It’s because of our family culture. I want to share one way Dale changed our family culture. Growing up as the oldest of four kids, my […]
A Three Cup Day
My youngest’s favorite book last year was discovered through Reading Rainbow. A Three Hat Day told the story of a man who, having lost his parents, filled his days collecting hats. Some sad days he wore two hats. But, then came a day so dreary and impossible, he layered three hats, one on top of […]
