When I visit schools to share my children’s books, the students always ask, “How do you know anyone will like them?” I say, “I don’t. But if I don’t write and publish them, I’ll never know.” When I write fiction for adults, the adults who read it always ask, “How do you know anyone will […]
In 1999, I was working at a small public-relations firm in Avon, Connecticut. My dentist was in the next town east, which, oddly enough, is West Hartford. (Everything is relative.) Exiting I-84 on Prospect Street, I drove north on Prospect, intending to turn left onto Farmington Avenue, the street on which my dentist’s office was […]
Author’s Note: This story is an elaboration on a comment I posted in a thread initiated by my friend, Tammy Eldredge. It’s also a faithful recounting of an actual event and a very valuable lesson. In 1974, I was playing in a band with some guys who rented a house on West Street in Rocky […]
As readers of my ravings likely know by now, my father was a U.S. Marine. To him — and, so, to us — time was an adversarial construct. There was no later. There was no gradually. There was no patience. There were just two things: (1) Now. (2) Now, God damn it! Growing up in […]
Dennis Pitocco is an extraordinary leader who has created a platform that blends people from around the world in amazing ways. He has attracted over 1000 Featured Contributors, and shares podcasts, music, events, and ongoing opportunities to be with like-minded people whose purpose is to make a difference and create a better world. Dennis and […]
“Cockadoodle doo!” the rooster crowed for the third time. She wanted to pull the pillow over her head to shut out the persistent crowing of the rooster but knew it would not be wise. It was time to get up and start her morning chores. Phil, as the rooster was named by one of her […]
The little girl sat quietly with her hands crossed at her wrists. She smoothed out her dress with the frills on the skirt nervously. Her guardian had told her she needed to be on her best behavior because a lady was coming to meet her. At five years old Donna was what her teachers described […]
I did not grow up with cell phones, social media, or electronics as my main source of communication. It was a different world in the ’60s, ’70s, and even the ’80s. Today, there is information overload, communication via text/email, and a culture that has practically eliminated the art of conversation. If you are of the […]
As a girl of the 1950s and growing up in a small town in Jamaica, I was constantly reminded of the need to be conscious of other people’s opinions. “What will people say?” “What will people think?” “You know, people don’t appreciate that.” Who were these ‘people’ my mother was concerned about and why? It […]
Being kind to yourself is showing self-compassion. Many people confuse this with self-indulgence or selfishness, and so may be critical of you when you talk about how pleased you are with your results or express your delight at having achieved a milestone. Yet, they may have no criticism when you’re quick to congratulate someone else […]
