Reflections

What if instead of “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” in 1929 sophisticated, impeccable style, we changed to
something different? What would happen if that became something else? While still involving a “putting on” action, emotions, words or attitudes become that something different. The costs might vary; the response certainly will!

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We all tell our stories. Then we add more stories, embellishing them for other
audiences. “Is that the truth” becomes a frequently asked question.
What do you do when your story material runs low? Well, take a trip and try for more
stories found in different settings.

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Recently, I asked a friend about his plans. He didn’t have an immediate answer having retired the previous day from a multiple-decade career in the financial field. He and his wife chuckled at the switch of life styles. She’s now heading
off to work while he’s the one at home. I think that will be a “for the time being” situation until … (read more…)

Yikes! When my friend said that recently, actually several times, I wondered. Did she have a diagnosis about which I knew nothing? Had she been ill and not said anything? No, she knows as the years roll on, her physical well-being isn’t what it was previously. Her awareness of her interests and ability to pursue them is smart. Maybe there’s a … (read more…)

I wonder how many different addresses we have had. Better yet, how many addresses will there be in our future. Being members of military families means a variety of moves both in the US and abroad. The saying was “I’m being moved” for
IBM families. Most likely, we’ve moved a variety of times whether for school, career, marriage, or even … (read more…)

We’re a month into the New Year and, indeed, what about those resolutions?! “I’ve already broken one,” my friend Lynn
lamented as we walked into a meeting. Wondering what he’d done, I asked. “I had a Voodoo donut,” he explained. That led us into a discussion about their type, size, flavors – jelly filled, bacon, maple – for … (read more…)

As we embark on a new year, “Serendipity,” seems an appropriate title. After all, it
evokes finding something new or unexpected good luck. Doesn’t a new year hold that
potential?

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As I look at the beauty of the November sunsets, I’m reminded of a quote I heard years
ago: “November sunsets are the dividends paid by the year before closing its books.”
How true that seems to me.

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My husband and I have apparently begun the habit of traveling on roads which, in hindsight, we should have missed. These shouldn’t-have-taken roads, have provided the fodder for funny stories and lots of laughter…later. Our first mistakenly traveled road, occurred in Georgia when we left the Whistle Stop Café (think “Fried Green … (read more…)

By Marty Coffin Evans

A pink slip arrived in my high school classroom summoning me to the Dean of Girl’s office. “Oh dear,” I thought, believing I was a good kid and not accustomed to being called to a front office, especially one involving discipline. Dean Ruth Dinsmore proceeded to introduce me to Donna, a student new to our school. She … (read more…)

“May we join your table,” we asked the father and young son. Allan, the father,
immediately said, Yes. “Are you from Nixon or Trudeau Country?” he queried knowing
we were North Americans. There, in the Queenstown, NZ TravelLodge dining room, our decades- long friendship
began that July. I mentioned about wishing to go skiing too as … (read more…)

What are you going to do next? Most likely we’d agree, change is all around us. Perhaps it always has been. Whether in changing jobs, retiring, or making another life-altering move, answering the question “What’s Next?” follows. You may have been asked this question, or possibly asked another.

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