In our quest for adventure, Hubs and I decided to take a drive to the river. As we turned onto Riverside, childhood memories of Sunday drives to Dress Plaza made me smile. Although I had driven this road dozens of times, I never really thought much about it. As we drove past the plaza entrance, we could see adult swings in the distance. We knew that was our destination. Pulling into the parking lot, I heard laughter from kids playing at Mickey's Kingdom and watched teenagers attempting, what appeared to me, as death defying tricks at Sunset Skatepark. This place was no secret, I was just late to the game.  

I was always taught to respect handicapped parking spaces and restrooms designed for those with disabilities; however, it seems respect in general is no longer taught, ignored or worse, blatantly disregarded.

While reading my Facebook memories this morning, I was shocked to find that every New Year's memory had a common "do-over" theme. Whether it was the realization of the inability to reverse time or the thirst to eliminate the "do-over" thought from the future, the theme remained. I only bring this reflection to the forefront to introduce a "new and improved" New Year's theme. 

No doubt you have heard me talk quite a bit about the value of business networking; however, I have failed to explain why I am so passionate about it. So here goes. 

I love the sound of a steady, set-in-for-the day rainfall. The window sheers playfully dance from the cool breeze that drifts through the open screen. There is something soothing about the sound of crystal droplets splashing in perfect rhythm against the sidewalk. A calming, straight line, steady downpour magically transforms bubbling pools of water into narrow rippling streams that run seamlessly and gracefully downhill.    

Father's Day just isn't Father's Day without Dad Jokes. I asked a group of friends to share their favorite Dad Jokes and here they are. Please feel free to send me you own Dad Jokes and I'll plug them into this post. 

Although my kids are grown, I still remember how hard it was to juggle the responsibilities of being a mom, working a full-time job, and trying to keep a household running smoothly. For those of you who are currently traveling this path, let me encourage and assure you that you WILL survive.

Every year, for the past twenty years, I have written a sappy New Year's blog about saying goodbye to the previous year (and all that was wrong with it), forgoing resolutions, and being eager to ring in the New Year. After re-reading those posts, I discovered that year after year, nothing really seemed to change, and ironically, all of those writings ended with "hoping for a better year."   

Thanksgiving Ushers in Black Friday Shopping...Oh Yeah!

Who among us has not uttered these words a time or two....or three? Dare I say, ALL of us at some point! On the positive side, most of the time these words are released as an outlet for venting, not really an intended action.

Photo attributed to FREEPIK

Writers, by nature, are observers of people, behaviors, and personalities. Personally, I am intrigued by individual reactions to various circumstances, existential factors, problems, and interactions. Lately, my view of the world today could best be described as stoic, numb, complacent, ambivalent, and angry. Initially, I thought my assertion was contained within my inner circle; however, I was wrong.