My 90-year-old mother-in-law is relatively independent, financially astute, and surprisingly tech-savvy. Because of that, we were shocked to hear her response to a phone call that she received. The call nearly compromised her financial security.  

Well almost.  Monday, my deck got power-washed in advance of setting up what I often call my "outside office.  Also, two roots that lifted some patio blocks some also got cut out. And two new out lamps replaced the one existing; they make it real easy work after the sun goes down Friday morning. the patio got sealed.

Living well does not always look or feel what you might think.Sometimes, it looks like a slow morning with a good cup of coffee. A conversation that reminds you who you are or a walk outside when your mind feels too full. Maybe it's a moment of gratitude that arrives quietly, without needing to be announced.We spend so much time chasing the next thing: the next goal, the next milestone, the next version of ourselves. Somewhere along the way, it becomes easy to forget that life is not only something we are building. It is something we are experiencing right now.

Home is where the hearth (Joanne says Heart) is and after a surprising 4 month "snow birding"adventure in Key West, we are back home!So much has happened and I'm proud to say we endured it safely and are happily home. I'm sure new adventures portend and I'm ready to face them head on. After all, what choice do I have?

I've made many mistakes in my life. But their is one that I am reminded of several times a day.

I love technology and opportunities to learn new things. The field of AI is fascinating and, as with most innovations, there are benefits and burdens - pluses and pitfalls. My recent experience has been all on the plus side. Broken wrist! A note taker in meetings that are easily uploaded to my CRM - I will continue to use it.Broken wrist! AI took dictation for emails, documents, texts, even DMs. It’s a nice option if I remember to proofread carefully. A tool worth using.

Yes, I know I'm late to read -- but I just read Mitch's blog from Saturday.   And, I get it -- really I do. [Thanks for the shout out, Mitch.]As anyone who spends more than five minutes with me knows, my adult children both currently live very far away.  Far -- planes and trains away.  Like Mitch's (rockstar) daughter, mine lives in northern California .  My son is in southern Virginia.  They, and we, really enjoy each other's company. But simple geography means that we don't have enough time together.  

While travelling in Southeast Asia, we experienced their expression of greeting. Rather than shake hands, their tradition is to place their hands together and shortly bow. I learned that the depth and length of the bow can even reflect the level of respect being offered. While people in the United States say hello with a handshake, bowing carries the same meaning of courtesy and recognition in other cultures. In fact, our guides in Bali and Thailand told us that they rarely, if ever, shake hands.