Reflections
I am nearly a half century old, can it be? I suppose that it is – and precisely because I have been gifted the opportunity of so much time on this planet, I committed to spend a bit of it in reflection.
For me, the moments where life, love and leadership convene are never independent of each other, I cannot silo my life from my leadership or my love from my life. I am all of these and to write otherwise would be inauthentic and you, the reader, and I the witness, would know. These reflections are a method to distill moments into meaning, my meaning.
I do hope that there is something in my journey that might touch something in yours.
holding discomfort
I know. We all read this book 10 years ago. My suggestion, pick it up again. When Brene Brown delivered her charming, vulnerable and life altering TedxTalk, The...
oh colombia!
Oh colombia. How little do I know u but oh Colombia, how good you are at leaving an impression. This conference, a gathering of powerful women and colored eyeglasses,...
critical thinking and washing machines
I teach systems thinking and so by design, or default, my work supports educators and students to do a lot of critical thinking. Generally it’s focused on the global...
Looking for Loops
Look for loops – a sustainable habit of mind Move beyond the temptation to see the world as a linear sequence of events and look for loops of cause...
these times…
I just left the Amtrak train and after an easy walk I am sitting on the Flyaway Bus speeding on the highway towards LAX where I will board a...
Liturgies for those kept awake in the night
There are those days when I am absolutely sure that I can change the world for the better and then, there are those days when I wonder how I...
just messy
I won’t post this on social media, but I will post it here. I will post it here because here is where I am practicing my leadership, here is...
Las monjas
When I was 19 I worked for the California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG), an advocacy group and environmental watchdog. My job was “canvasser” and this meant that I...
one wild and precious life
“Par de chur” the waiter asked me, as a follow up to my order of cafe con leche. I hesitated and tried to act natural at the same time,...
“It’s the humanity of the connection,” she said.
“It’s the humanity of the connection,” she said. I was talking to Esther Mark on a zoom call. She had just finished the new playground building course that...
Selective Memories
“So do you all agree that you are taking this trip at your own risk?” She had just described that we would be walking through some areas where we...
the yellow tram #2 passes by and continues on
The young man sitting just in front of me messes with his watch and talks excitedly with his hands. He speaks quickly but quietly, punctuating his rapid fire speech...
OkCupid
It took me 6 months to set up my profile on OkCupid. I opened the account and then quit the moment that I had to write a description, tried...
Musings in Budapest
I can be very quiet. I can go days with my thoughts, with my work, with bright walks along the waterfront, the whipping wind providing counterpoint and white noise...
Small Miracles in Dusty Classrooms
It is almost 9am and I am finding my way through the meandering streets of the medina in Essaouira, Morocco. I am looking for an open store to buy...
legacy
My father passed away on June 16, 2015 of a heart attack. He was found hunched over a soup bowl at his writing desk in the small apartment...
When you know better, you do better
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” — Maya Angelou For the last several mornings I have woken uneasy. The...
giving grace
It’s been a hard few weeks, a few months actually. Eva, my father’s first wife, has been suffering with sharp pains that run through her buttocks and down the...
Running…
Running is pretty much how I have described my life these last many years. Running. My boyfriend would check in with me to ask how it’s going and I’d...
Oh, my coaches!
Some 30 years ago when I started out on my independent life adventure, the only coach I had ever heard of was the sports kind. I had volleyball coaches...