When You Don’t Get Recognition
All day, I think about the verse in Colossians that implores, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Crocus Hiding in Snow What […]
Cut Out the Unhappy
Today my friend sends me the results of a study that suggests older folks–in their 80’s–are the happiest. The report published in the American National Academy of Sciences claims that as we age, we “become more selective with how we use our time, focusing more on doing things we enjoy and cutting out parts of […]
Sneaking Up on Jack, I Caught Him Doing This:
Jack Basks in the Sun He was basking. My One-Eyed Cat, Jack, continues to teach me how to live with flair. First he learned how to purr and taught me something about finding yourself again, even when you’ve been wounded. Then, he let out his first meow, and I learned something about rediscovering my voice. […]
Scheduling Nothing
Here’s the Big Thing at after school pick up: the children huddle and negotiate who plays where and when. After school scheduling feels like I’m on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange; I’m signaling certain parents, tapping my foot, swinging my purse around, and checking my texts. It’s stressful. Today, I decide to […]
The Most Selfish Little Girl
I wake up this morning to the sound of my daughters screaming about who gets what toy. They have little stockpiles of toys in the living room for an imaginary game, and they both want the same doll to add to their pile. How dare they! They have so much, and instead of being generous, […]
Waking Up with a Sore Throat
This morning, I realize immediately that I have a sore throat. I know what this means: I’m getting sick (or maybe it’s an allergy or just the dry air in my home or the fact that there’s snow on the ground one day and daffodils blooming the next). Whatever the cause, that irritating sore throat […]
Finding the Worst Parking Spot Ever
There’s some convention in town, and the campus swarms with people in every direction. I turn into my usual parking lot to find that there’s no parking on any of the lower levels. I’m driving around and around the parking lot, whiplashed and frustrated. Finally, I’m spit out into the light of the uppermost deck […]
Stepping in Cat Vomit
I woke up this morning and landed in cat vomit. Apparently, I overfed my cat. This is no way to start year two of Live with Flair. Then I remember my friend in Japan whose father sent word that we might send canned food items for him to distribute to the disaster areas. I remember […]
The Greatest Thing I Learned After Blogging Every Day for One Year
I woke up to an ice storm complete with power outages and school delays. This cannot possibly be the kind of day to celebrate a Year of Blogging with Flair. But one thing I’ve learned after blogging every day for a year is that I can choose to find the flair in an ice storm. […]
Give Your Life Away
My arms are sore from turning double-dutch jump ropes. From 6:30 PM-7:30 PM, 30 (yes, thirty!) parents and children came out to the parking lot for Monday Night Neighborhood Fitness. Imagine a swarm of children riding bikes and scooters or playing football and Frisbee. Imagine a car blaring music from an iPod so a group […]