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    Religion and Philosophy Blog Nosh Magazine

    {Originally posted on P E N S I E V E}

    In its 15th and final season, hospital drama ER resurrected the dead: Anthony Edwards reprised his role as Dr. Mark Green last week in a series of flashbacks by Angela Bassett’s character, Cate Banfield.

    When ER debuted in the Fall of ‘94, I had an infant and a two-year-old, and I’m sure escaping into TV melodrama was a welcome respite from the “storms” my little ones ravaged. I remember lying on our sofa nursing my son–right side, left side, right side, left–through ER, the news and then late nights with Leno and Letterman.

    During the episodes leading up to his death, Dr. Green takes his daughter to Hawaii, to teach her “important” life lessons–how to drive, how to surf…I really don’t recall much else.

    Except a last admonishment to her, one that has haunted me in the ensuing years.

    “Be generous. Always.”

    It struck me as odd, then, that a parent’s dying words would speak to generosity. It was unsettling for some reason; I judged those words as somehow falling short. In my mind, as a believer, I felt like he should have offered some great spiritual insight, something with eternal value, something … more. Of course, I realized it was television after all, and the series had never before offered anything substantively spiritually enlightening; but still, I saw it as missed opportunity.

    Business Blog Nosh Magazine{Originally published on SmartWomansGuides}

    Today I had an interesting and educational experience. One of the great bloggers I follow on Twitter introduced a friend of his to the community. This friend is apparently well-known by many but, unfortunately, not me. But, since I trust the blogger who recommended him, I went to go check out the newbie’s profile. But I was foiled - the newbie didn’t have a profile! Gasp!

    In an effort at brevity, I joked that the newbie’s Twitter profile was a little slim - no website link, no bio, nada. Just his name and a picture (which was a nice picture, admittedly). Frankly, I didn’t want to have to google the newbie to find out about him. Maybe I’m too focused on instant gratification, but well, fair enough, maybe I am. The web is all about instant info and ease and convenience and I’ve bought in.

    One of my other Twitter buds messaged that this newbie was already so well known that he didn’t need to create a profile to get followers and he was busy. Wow. Not only did I still not know about this newbie (who now I wanted to know about even more, since he’s so busy and great) but now I felt like an outside, the only one left in the world to not know who he was just on his name and picture. The big capital “L” for loser felt squarely tattooed to my forehead.

    After a moment of being stunned, the conversation got me thinking - are you ever so big that you don’t have to introduce yourself? You can guess my answer - a resounding NO.

    Being focused on beginners, I try to be aware of the idea that there are people who aren’t living in my personal world, who don’t live in my bubble of experience. Like meeting people who’ve never heard of Twitter, or who have never purchased anything online, or don’t know what RSS is, it’s easy to think that maybe they’ve just been living under a rock. That’s not very kind or compassionate and it’s a bit foolish from a marketing point of view. It gives the impression that you don’t care.



image Google Business Truths
{Originally published on Brand Autopsy} While reading Bill Moggridge's DESIGNING INTERACTIONS, I became aware of the "Ten Things Google has Found to be True." It's Google's corporate manifesto from the early 2000s and it's a very worthwhile read. [Maybe you've already read it and I'm just late to the party. If so ... then my laggardness is showing--sorry.] Google's ten things it has found to be true are: 1. Focus on the user and all ...
image You’re Never Too Big To Introduce Yourself
{Originally published on SmartWomansGuides} Today I had an interesting and educational experience. One of the great bloggers I follow on Twitter introduced a friend of his to the community. This friend is apparently well-known by many but, unfortunately, not me. But, since I trust the blogger who recommended him, I went to go check out the newbie’s profile. But I was foiled - the newbie didn’t have a profile! Gasp! In an effort at ...
image The Shape of Grief
{Originally posted on Schmutzie.com} Over one year later, I am still discovering the shape of my grief over the loss of my uterus. I miss a thing I could never see. I have no documentation of its existence. It does not show up in family photo albums. My clothing fits as it did before the surgery. I never touched it with my hands. I cannot trace its outlines in pictures or ...
image How to Get Away with Buying a Playboy, circa 1970
{Originally Published in Cafe Philos.} It occurs to me this morning you might be wondering how someone would have gone about buying a Playboy in a small American town in the early 1970s — and get away with it.  Of course, that was back when buying a Playboy in a small backwards town could break your reputation, so getting away with it was key. Now, I don’t recall how old I was ...
image The Nose
{Originally published on Writing My Wrongs} "Serendipity: to make discoveries, by accident and sagacity, of things not in quest of." - Wikipedia.org It's been two days, and I am still shaking. I still cannot catch my breath. I still feel dizzy and disoriented. I feel drained. Depleted of all my energy. Ever been in a car accident and end up okay, but also end up shaking and traumatized for a few days? I ...
image Communism – what’s that got to do with the Left?
{Originally published by George Kock on Dr. J and Mr. K} The National Post marked the passing of the giant of human freedom, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, with some excellent commentary, especially this column by Robert Fulford. But on Sunday evening, when news first came on the CTV of Solzhenitsyn’s death, I said to Mrs. K.: “Bet they get through the whole thing without uttering the word ‘Communism’.” And they did! The anchor and ...
image Be generous. Always.
{Originally posted on P E N S I E V E} In its 15th and final season, hospital drama ER resurrected the dead: Anthony Edwards reprised his role as Dr. Mark Green last week in a series of flashbacks by Angela Bassett's character, Cate Banfield. When ER debuted in the Fall of '94, I had an infant and a two-year-old, and I'm sure escaping into TV melodrama was a welcome ...
image 13 fixes for tired moms
{Originally published on SUSIEJ} At my annual check-up this week, my doctor pulled out that little stick, drew the blood like a vampire and certified that I am low in iron levels; a major contributor for my exhaustion. So, together, we worked out a plan of foods, herbs and supplements she approved of, to help me feel energized and happy. So far, I’ve emailed portions of this list to many friends, other ...
image The Letter
{Originally published on Truth Is Freedom.} A daily ritual for 40 years, the door swinging open on creaking hinges. At first that noise had bothered him, but now it was a comfort. Something familiar. Step, shuffle, 12 steps with the right leg and 11 shuffles with the left foot. The distance hadn’t changed, but the numbers had slowly increased through the years. The door closed behind him, a creak followed by ...