This summer, I took a real vacation where I immersed myself in family, food, and fun. For me, taking a break from work and social media was enormously beneficial for my physical and mental well-being. It is, no doubt, often difficult to get away. It involves complicated logistics (Who will take care of the dog … Continue reading Take a Break
“Your husband is going to fall off his chair when he sees this bill,” quipped the saleswoman as she rang up my purchase. This was in January of this year (not 1955, as you might have guessed), when I ventured to the mall to get dress clothes that my teenage son could wear to his … Continue reading Women Are Struggling
Last week’s massacre of 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, was horrific and devastating. The innocent victims suffered and died at the hands of an 18-year-old with an AR-15 style rifle. Every one of these youngsters was someone’s child, with hopes and dreams for the future. They were friends … Continue reading Grappling With Loss
I’ve always been turned off by the concept of networking. In my mind, networking conjures images of crowded rooms filled with swarms of extroverts shaking hands and smiling insincerely, everyone more eager to talk than to listen. Over the din of clinking highball glasses, I picture back-slapping and horn-tooting, business card and favor trading, and … Continue reading Building a Vibrant Network
Can you imagine if the universe of what we know (or, said another way, what we know about the universe) were restricted to what we can see with our naked eyes? The classic Powers of Ten short film, created in 1977, does a marvelous job conveying the relative size of things. Beginning with a view … Continue reading Making the Invisible Visible
In honor of a recent life milestone, I’ve been reflecting back on some memorable moments. My family will tell you I have a “terrible memory.” Case in point: We watch a movie together and not until the very end do I realize that I’ve already seen the film. (This happens often.) I don’t retain digits … Continue reading What We Remember
2022 didn’t start out exactly as I’d planned. At the end of December, I relished re-connecting with family that I hadn’t seen in two years, immersing in holiday celebrations, family meals, movies, hikes, and board games. I also took some time to reflect on the whirlwind that was 2021 and planned for 2022, considering how … Continue reading The Best Laid Plans of Managers and Moms
This is my 38th and final Mother of Invention blog post of 2021, a personal experiment I kicked off in January. Over the course of this year, I’ve published nearly 45,000 words, on topics as varied as climate change, summer camp, hybrid cloud, corporate jargon, resilience, and artificial intelligence. My posts have been viewed almost … Continue reading Behind the Blogs
I’ve been thinking about mortality lately. This was spurred by a feeling of being a little bit “off” — an elevated heart rate, chest tightness, something not quite right. Net is I’m fine: I’m thankful to have a clean bill of health. Nevertheless, a health scare — like other close calls such as surviving a … Continue reading Living Well
In life and in work, we are faced with hundreds of decisions every day — some relatively inconsequential (what to wear? when to break for lunch? where to meet up with colleagues or friends?), others career and life changing (which job to take? how to allocate budgets? who to partner with or promote?). Not all … Continue reading Decisions, Decisions
Mother of Invention 