Recently, I was privy to the following dilemma.  

I recently was a witness as to how deeply embedded the paternal instinct truly is.   I was in Costa Rica with my family at an animal reserve. Most of my family went off exploring while I volunteered to stay back in the shade with my nine-month-old granddaughter, Taylor. While alone in the shade, Taylor and I remained near an enclosure in which monkeys were housed.  

I concluded last week's commentary noting a need for $4,000 to activate a matching donation to support the special People4Peace research project.  As I write this only $50 needs to come in to make the match happen.

I had an unusual teaching experience this past week. Instead of the entire class on the screen, the format was a Zoom webinar.   So I taught for two hours seeing only myself without images of the students or even hearing their voices.   What I did was open the chat window and encourage the students to ask questions, comment, and respond when I asked a question.    I laughed almost the entire two hours at the absurdity of the situation.

Have you ever been asked by a friend to make a donation to their cause? Do you dignify the request with a response? If you comply, what motivates you to do so? Also, what equation goes into the amount of the donation? Lastly, do you remember the amount?

Shortly after meeting someone for the first time, the question is asked:“What do you do?”Invariably - at least in my experience- the question evokes a response about what someone does for a living, or, perhaps, did for a living.

Running has been part of my personal narrative for decades.  Years ago it was 30 minutes on the “dreadmill” enduring boredom to build strength and endurance.  

I am ready – and if I’m lucky, maybe I will have a little time to read a book.