Last spring I posted about Hal’s and my harebrained “Let’s get in shape real fast” scheme, buttressed by a 60-day DVD workout plan called “Insanity.” And insane it was: six days a week, for forty to sixty minutes a day last April and May, we slid a disc into the computer and bounced, heaved, and…
Nobody wants to do it. I certainly didn’t, especially after enduring the first few hours of jury selection, a process (called “voir dire“) which is so insistently repetitive, so oppressively tedious as to produce a powerful narcotic effect in us trapped, helpless potential jurors awaiting the resumption of our lives. I actually heard someone say,…
Why studying languages makes your brain a better organ.
Sometimes being around teen girls can be pretty painful–all that excruciating awkwardness comes whooshing back. The giggles. The blushing. The word “like.” That’s because being a teen girl is often painful. I remember. I was one, a rather long time ago, and a particularly scrawny, flat-chested, and knock-kneed one at that. I recall the near-constant…
Kids Gain Wisdom, Resilience from Siblings with Chronic Illnesses or Disabilities Two summers ago, I met Rebecca Scarpati while I was working on a public radio story about an innovative creative writing and performance camp for girls, called “Act Like A Grrrl.” Rebecca’s daughter Cyan had been with “ALAG” since its beginnings around 5 years…
A feature by Abby Ellin in this month’s issue of Psychology Today got me thinking about success, and how we measure it. Click here to read an excerpt from the article: “I Coulda Been a Contender,” a reported piece with elements of personal essay, about how so many of us feel we haven’t lived up…
Two weeks ago, I did a WPLN piece on a Middle-Tennessee event aimed at helping folks dispose of their old prescription drugs safely and legally. You can hear the audio, read a transcript, and see a slideshow here. Here’s how I know this is an idea whose time has come: the U.S. Senate just passed…
Check out the first installment of my new monthly column for Her Nashville – a profile of Christie Andrews, who started a Nashville nonprofit dedicated to advocating for kids with learning disabilities, regardless of their families’ income. Learning Matters, Inc. helps kids who are falling behind in school (and their families) navigate the educational system and…
The Greenery 