Have you ever asked someone how they’re doing and heard them reply, “I’m surviving,” or “I’ve survived another year”? It doesn’t seem like much of a victory to consider yourself as having merely survived your life. Survival is necessary—yes, because we must survive the experience to tell the tale. But is it where we wish […]
It’s Time to Act. Today, my husband shared a podcast with me about fitness and aging. It featured competitive athletes in their 60s, 70s, and beyond. They were all men. That’s when I got pissed off. Where are the fierce, fit, active women in their 60s, 70s, and beyond? Ladies, where are you? OMG—we need […]
Almost ten years ago to the day, I published Oil and Water under the moniker P.J. Lazos. At the time, I thought I was being clever, using my initials like J.K. Rowling did, and also, hoping to attract male readers by using a distinctly not-female name. I had spoken to a marketing executive before the […]
Dynamic Past Theory in Action There are moments that mark us. Not with ink and needle, but with emotional permanence—etched into memory with the sharpness of a thousand unsaid words. I call them Tattoo Moments. They are the snapshots we carry, willingly or not. The story we tell ourselves over and over. The memory that […]
A few months ago, I enjoyed a sneak peek tour of the new Stevens & Smith Center for History and Democracy, located on the southwest corner of the Marriott hotel at the corner of Prince and Vine Streets. The museum is comprised of what used to be two houses belonging to Congressman Thaddeus Stevens — […]
Sunset Beach, Cape May, NJ © pam lazos Pristine. The word means unspoiled, untouched, or as new, a quaint concept when describing the environment because there is almost no place left on earth that hasn’t been touched by man’s meddling. Today, freshwater supplies are more endangered than ever in human history. When only 0.5% of […]
Kintsugi: The Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold. Everyone has their haunts—some just hide them better than others. And some, like me, have learned to make them our friends. I’ve learned that I am you, and you are me. We have been brought together for a reason—to understand the power of a collective […]
My friend and colleague, Justin Mando, who serves on the Board of the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association (LSRA) with me, has created a triptych of videos on the Conejohela Flats, a series of small islands and adjacent mudflats in the Susquehanna River which the National Audubon Society calls significant stopover points in the Eastern U.S. […]
Writer “Would you like to write this with AI?” I am asked this question, by LinkedIn, WordPress, and several other writing tools and sites where I publish my writing. As I skip the AI button inside my head is an existential scream: NO! I’M TRYING TO BE A WRITER DAMMIT! I call myself a writer […]
Part 3 Willingness: The Ultimate Force of Creation Willingness is the most powerful force in the cosmos—a primal energy that ignites action, fuels connection, and drives creation. Willingness is the impetus that precedes action. Without willingness, engagement ceases, and the potential to participate, care, share, teach, or learn fades. It is the foundation for building […]
