“Leslie, you’re overdue for a mammogram,” Dr. Petty said as he eyed my medical chart. “How can I get out of this?” I blurted out. “You can’t,” he said, smiling. On my list of medical things I don’t want to do having a mammogram is right up there next to the root canal. My first

There always seems to be something in the air in September. New school supplies, football games, the leaves just starting to turn and oh yeah, cider and donuts … oh, and apples, too. Spring gets all the credit as a time for new life, but fall brings a newness of its own and – for

Just as I was being lulled into dreamland by lake water gently rocking my raft, I was jolted back to reality by my friend’s voice. “It’s almost August, you know. That’s the Sunday of summer,” she said flatly, almost harshly. I opened my eyes, still hidden behind my sunglasses and replied, “What are you trying

When I was about 27 years old, I decided I wanted to write a book. I’m now 53. It hasn’t happened yet. I guess you could say I have been procrastinating. You could also say I’m lazy. Both are pretty accurate statements. I really do want to write a book – I even have a

“Look with your eyes!” Those four simple words usually came from my father’s mouth with a tinge of agitation. If you were struggling to find something, and he knew where it was, rather than sharing that information with you, he would simply tell you to look with your eyes. There were other gems, too –

As I sat, crouched in the corner on a tenth floor balcony at a Palm Springs resort, hoping I would not decide to jump over the side, I kept thinking, “This isn’t normal.” “Well done, Captain Obvious,” I thought back to myself. There I was, 31 years old, with a successful career, on a Palm

A Tennessee dog made it back home,13 years after going missing. It sounds too incredible to be true, but it is on the internet, so it must be. (Right?) Thirteen years ago, a horrified teenager watched out his window as a man in a pickup truck snatched his family’s Yorkshire Terrier from their front lawn

“Smile!” my coworker said to me, as we passed in the hallway. I didn’t respond … out loud. In my head, however, I was thinking, “I am not smiling. I mean, I am not smiling, but why does that have to mean something bad? I am thinking, and it hurts to smile and think at

If you are among the legions of Valentine’s Day haters, you will be happy to know that this highly-commercialized, ooey-gooey, annual celebration of hearts and flowers didn’t exactly start out as a love fest. In fact, the first Valentine’s Day was … well, it was a little awkward. Let’s put it that way. Oh, there

The No. 1 New Year’s Resolution for 2020 was to eat healthier. Getting more exercise was second on the list. It’s no surprise then, that the first week of January is “Diet Resolution Week.” Right there, you might think that the people who come up with national days, weeks and months are really looking out

Confession time: My Christmas decorations have been up since November 1, and I am not ashamed. The un-passed-out Halloween candy was still intact and there I was, setting out my various Santa figurines. This is not the first year I have broken out the garland and Stewart tartan early, but this is the earliest I

There is a group, made up of people from around the world, that exists for one purpose: spreading kindness. The World Kindness Movement is a real thing and this year, on November 13, they want you to jump on their bandwagon for World Kindness Day. Kindness is such a rarity that this group felt the