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Where everybody knew your name
“The table is a meeting place, a gathering ground, the source of sustenance and nourishment, festivity, safety, and satisfaction. A person cooking is a person giving: Even the simplest food is a gift.” ~Laurie Colwin Another version of this column appeared in The Daily Tribune, March 20, 2019 When a family diner closes, you might feel as if you’ve lost an old friend. Here in Royal Oak, Niki’s was a favorite neighborhood hangout — our own private Cheers without the booze — for about 30 years. When my son was a small boy, it was also my home-away-from-home. In those days, I was writing freelance for several local papers, so I’d often head to…
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The “black holes” in our social universe
“Whether we give away too much or too little of ourselves, our vitality dwindles.” ~Sue Patton Thoele Black Hole Relationships (Parts of this essay were adapted from Writing Home) A full-time mother of three once told me she looked forward all year to summer break and hated to see it end. Was she nuts? Did she really enjoy refereeing troops of rowdy kids in her basement and making dozens of grape jelly sandwiches on short order? “I love summer because I get a reprieve from the back-stabbing at school events and Mothers’ League meetings,” the young mom insisted. “I don’t have to deal with the woman who doesn’t like…
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With apologies
“When you’re wrong, or if you’ve made a mistake, you’ll earn more respect in the long run if you admit it and apologize. No one in history has ever choked to death from swallowing his pride.” ~attributed to Mark Twain Photo by Cindy La Ferle
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Moral courage
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How to be yourself
Photo by Cindy La Ferle “Whenever you choose to pull back, say less, or restrain your magnificence to survive in a relationship, this spells trouble. The next opportunity you have to spend time with this person, ask yourself: Will I have to shrink to make this work, or is this a situation where I can grow?” ~Marc Chernoff Today’s quote got me thinking about being authentic in our relationships. Of course, there’s a huge difference between being brutally honest and expressing our truth with tact and diplomacy. But how often do we refrain from saying what we really think in order to keep the peace — or to ensure that others will like us?…
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Rowing together
“Know your circle. Make sure everybody in your boat is rowing and not drilling holes when you’re not looking.” ~ Steve Maraboli Photo by Cindy La Ferle
