Some years ago, I attended a panel discussion composed of various artists talking about their careers. One of the panelists was a man named David Carroll. A New Hampshire resident, David is an American naturalist, author of six books, and illustrator who had just received a MacArthur Grant after more than 30 years of painstaking work where he made barely enough money to survive. In talking about his life as an artist, he spoke words I have never forgotten: “You just hope you get a break before it breaks you.” Needless to say, it resonated. [Read more…] about Lessons from a Navy Hero
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Quote of the Week for June 30
“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.” — Marie Curie
The Meaning is in the Waiting*
We are all waiting for something. This week a dear friend waited for the results of her husband’s cardiac tests, only to find herself waiting the next day for the results of his emergency triple bypass surgery. Now they are waiting for pain relief, which thankfully is arriving. My niece is waiting for her big October wedding. My husband is waiting for a work project to be over. We are waiting for the phone to ring, the parts to come in, the hard work to pay off so we can pay for the parts.
Quote of the week for June 16
“Not knowing when the dawn will come I open every door.” — Emily Dickinson
Upgrading My Life
Last December, I wanted to hear a little music while I did the dishes, but for some reason, our Sonos player wasn’t working. Sonos is a wireless music system my husband bought, which is great when it actually works. The system plays music stored on your iPod or your iPhone — no more CDs. If it were up to me, I’d still be playing records instead of relying on Wi-Fi, but I surrender to these technological times and operate Sonos with my iPhone. I couldn’t figure out why the Sonos suddenly wasn’t behaving, and I thought maybe it was because I hadn’t yet downloaded my iPhone’s new operating system. So I downloaded the new operating system and the Sonos player still didn’t work and now I could barely read my iPhone because the new system was apparently designed for 20-year-olds who can still see close up, which I haven’t been able to do in years. [Read more…] about Upgrading My Life