Recently, I had a doctor’s appointment to go to in another city because we live at the edge of the earth.

In preparation for this three-hour round trip, I took my car to the shop.

The mechanic came back with a list of codes so long that he didn’t bother to check all of them. “This car is not safe to drive,” he said. And the implication was that it wasn’t worth fixing.

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I thought I was so busy this spring.

I was serving as the executive director of a tiny school and head coach of two different online workshops. I was working with a few clients and writing regularly. Plus, I had a long commute.

I would regularly work weekends in order to get a little ahead and reduce stress for the week ahead. Thus, I managed to have time for tennis most evenings and had a decent social life as well.

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It’s fascinating to watch toddlers at play, whether on the playground or in the pool.

Some of them go right for the toy they want, while others hang back and let others proceed first.

Some children get a thrill out of trying new things, while others feel a twinge of anxiety.

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I have trouble writing fiction, and I discovered a key reason when I attempted to do NaNoWriMo: I don’t like to make bad things happen to my characters.

I don’t want to break their hearts. I don’t even want to inconvenience them.

I mean, Dorothy Gale goes to all of that trouble to get to the Wizard of Oz only to discover that she had the power to get back to Kansas the whole time.

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Last week, I experienced one of the most important events of my entire year.

It was the annual Recognition Ceremony for The Little Middle School, where we share praise for each other, present awards, and reflect on how we’ve grown and changed.

The event was only seventy-five minutes long, but it required much preparation. Award recipients had to be chosen, certificates and programs printed, and gifts purchased.

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