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Tag: communication

Sailing Directions

I’ve already admitted in an earlier post that I was not a great sailor. Sensing the wind never came naturally to me. Some people could feel it instinctively, the subtle shifts that told them how to trim the sails or change course. I could learn the mechanics, but the wind itself never quite spoke to me. What I did learn was another kind of navigation. I learned to read a room. I learned when to…

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Cool Ray

If you read my last post, you might remember that my regular glasses were resting somewhere at the bottom of Santee Basin on the Severn River. That left me with one option: the prescription sunglasses my mother had dropped off so I could see. Now, wearing sunglasses in uniform may not sound like a big deal. But at the Naval Academy in 1977, it absolutely was. I was the only person in the Yard wearing…

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“Does Size Matter?” and Other Questions I Don’t Really Want to Answer

This past week, with Mother’s Day, I was asked (again):“What’s it like having nine kids?” Now, let’s be clear. Size does not matter. But it can sure feel like it does. Large families tend to invite wide-eyed questions, whispered comments in the grocery line, or nods of awe, as if I climbed Everest with a baby carrier. I get it. Nine is not subtle. But I never chased a number. I wasn’t collecting children like…

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The Connecting Cap

I was eager to return home after a week on the West Coast. The early morning ride, the shuffle through security, and the familiar ritual of finding my gate with a book in hand were all part of the journey. Travel is never just about the logistics—it’s about the people we meet along the way. A delay and gate change brought me to Gate N3, where I settled in and took a moment to notice…

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The Shelter of Friends

While February is known as the month of love, I think less about romance and more about the love of friends. If anything, it has been the love of my friends that has supported my nearly 40 years of love with my husband, Gary. We live in an age of increasing isolation, losing the deep social capital that once wove our communities together. I count it a privilege in 2025 to live in the same…

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Upgrade Your Operating System

Decluttering for the Upgrade When my phone nudges me with a “Software Update Available,” I swipe it away without much thought. Those alerts feel more like a pesky sales pitch than a necessity. Honestly, I don’t want to deal with the interruption—or risk a glitch—by starting an update. But eventually, those persistent notifications, dressed in their clever little red badges, wear me down. I start poking around, checking reviews to see if the upgrade is…

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