I have a new traveling companion. Her name is Gertie. Gertie Garmin. Gertie sits on my dash and tells me when to turn right or left and when to turn around. Only she doesn’t say, “turn around.” Whenever I make a wrong turn, she says, “Recalculating…Recalculating,” and then she begins directing me back to the route I should have taken. Isn’t life a little like navigating with a GPS? We don’t always know which way we’re supposed to go, because reality isn’t quite as simple as the written directions. Or maybe we know what we ought to do, but we […]

I’ve spent the past 2 days at a hotel working on some writing while my son attends a conference. Around midday today, I felt the need for some exercise, so I put on my walking shoes and headed outside for a break. Since I’m alone in a large city, I was hesitant to walk just anywhere. I’m in a mostly residential neighborhood, so I know my fears aren’t rational, but I have this crazy paranoia of being alone in a city. Perhaps it’s the nightly news that’s corrupted my rationality. Perhaps it’s that I’ve lived in a rural area for […]

Looking for a gift for someone for Father’s Day? Sign up for a drawing to win Todd Starnes’ “They Popped My Hood and Found Gravy on the Dipstick.” (see details below) “They Popped My Hood and Found Gravy on the Dipstick” In January, Fox News Radio reporter Todd Starnes released his debut book, a personal story of his journey from 300 pounds to 150. But the book is more than a story about weight loss. Starnes begins with the day – at 37 years of age – when he learned of his near-fatal heart valve problem. He walks the reader […]

Muse (meeyooz) n. 1. Greek Mythology Any of the nine daughters of Mnemosyne and Zeus, each of whom presided over a different art or science. 2. musea. A source of inspiration. This week, I couldn’t find my muse. Figuring she may be under something on my cluttered desk, I decided to have an office organizing day. I tossed stacks of saved papers into the recycling bin and worked through a couple of piles of tasks that needed tending. I filed a heap of important notes and clipped articles and I even dared to tackle the junk basket of odds and […]