Who am I, why am I here … and why have I had so many jobs? — I’m a deep thinker from way back. As a small child, I recall wondering, for example, why my first grade teacher was so unhappy. Her name was Mrs. Sullivan and she didn’t seem to like first-graders. Since then, I’ve discovered that teaching is a profession that can make it difficult…

It’s depressing how many criminals are out there — Long ago, before I was jaded and bitter and old and generally disappointed in humanity, I posted several items for sale on Craigslist. It was not the first time, but it would be the last time anyone came indoors to view my wares. I got scammed, I guess. About a…

An open letter to everyone who leads meetings — Dear Leaders, I don’t want to be in charge. Call it laziness, avoidance, low confidence, or a lifetime of remarkable clarity about my limitations — but whatever label seems appropriate, don’t hate me for criticizing our epidemic of lackluster leadership. As you read this breezy tome, you may see people…

Free verse — Feels like a target on my back Life Purpose, that’s the final hack Grab it like a melting ball of wax I ain’t no candle yet Look at them who burn like gold And don’t relax until they crest cool blue, sky-high, infamous with incandescent influence. You’re one step away…

Heroic service to mankind, one committee at a time — Somewhere along the way, my godless upbringing infected me with the Golden Rule. It’s the only rule necessary and overthinking it — as I’m about to do — will lead in a perfect circle. Our big, fat, stupid human detour was the search for a benign fatherly presence to save…

It’s still legal to cancel your subscriptions — This isn’t some wild New Year’s resolution but for a long time I’ve found all the services I subscribe to mentally overwhelming. I’ve doubted their ability to improve my life. My goal is to never pay for what I don’t use and don’t need and I want a more honest…

Who can fathom its relentless claws and fangs? — Was it the nightmare about a play where I couldn’t find the right costume and I was sitting half-naked across the table from a man in full costume ogling me, even though I am well past ogling age? Was it the literal side of the bed I got out of…

When you want a better life, but still want to speak English — My husband will only abandon the US for an English-speaking country, and we are down to Ireland, which we can’t afford unless we want to live in the countryside where the English, I’m guessing, isn’t necessarily decipherable. To the rural Irish, we will sound like we are yelping and I…

It’s mostly making right-hand turns — Most old people are still in shock that they’ve gotten old. This is particularly true about guys between the ages of 71 and 78. Conversations revolve around things they used to do easily but now find themselves avoiding, usually with a chuckle. Once you crest 80, the shock wears off…