When I was a kid, I talked my little brother into going around the neighborhood with me knocking on doors and offering to sing a Christmas carol for a tip. It could be any song the person wanted to hear as long as we knew it, and I think they could tip in any amount....
While I’m on a roll, I’m just going to keep going. Last week, I implored artists of all kinds to stop compromising themselves in order to serve others. In other words: stop being afraid to justifiably raise your prices out of a false sense of doing good. Now I’d like to take a look at...
I’m sure you’ve noticed the cost of living has gone up lately. Everyone is talking about it. Take a look at your grocery bill, note the rate increases in utilities and services, just try having lunch in a full-service restaurant for less than $20 (with tip). Governments and businesses are responding by raising their workers’...
When I was very young, there was a song that played often on the radio called “The Most Beautiful Girl” by Charlie Rich. The narrator had lost the love of his life through his own bad behavior and asked the listener to keep an eye out for her. If we saw her, we were to...
This year, I forgot to experience my usual New Year’s Eve melancholy that has been with me since I was a teen. For as many years as I can comfortably remember, New Year’s Eve was an occasion for parties and firecrackers and midnight kisses, but also a call to worry about the passage of time,...
Happy 2023! As I’m returning from a break to visit extended family, I’m going to let my good friend, Franklin Taggart, lead us into the new year. Franklin and I had many wonderful conversations last year as he helped me work my way through health and personal issues, and the odd and empowering experience that...
For most of my life, I avoided invitations to join book clubs. I had way too many books on my “to read” list already. Not to mention all the reading I was doing as research for my work. Then along came the pandemic, and I accidentally found myself in 3.5 book clubs. The first started...
There are at least 11 major holidays celebrated in December around the world (and several more). As someone who loves to travel and learn about other cultures, I want to wish everyone peace and happiness this holiday season as you celebrate with your friends and loved ones. As we move into a new year, may...
Several years ago, a friend was staying at my house. She decided to give her little boy a bath but I hadn’t set out enough towels, so she reached into the linen closet and grabbed one. Later, I noticed she had chosen an old ratty towel with holes in it that I keep off to...
On his podcast, Your Own Best Company, my friend Franklin Taggart invited us to reframe this busy season as a time of abundance. To remember that all this chaos is really proof of a bountiful harvest. That our focus on friendships, jobs, and families has paid off, and we are surrounded by people and things we...