Shout Out

I live in the kind of 'hood where neighbors shovel each others' sidewalks in winter and mow each others' lawns in summer. It's Pleasantville, in technicolor.

Last week, for instance, we were invited to a Groundhog Day party.  Last year, the jennies on the block threw me an incredible baby shower.  And for major holidays like Christmas and Independence Day, elves bedeck the street lamps with holly and line the street with mini flags.  True to form, neighbors have literally stopped by to borrow a cup of sugar or to drop off a plate of freshly-baked cookies, and we really do have a neighborhood newsletter.  There is an annual block-wide garage sale each fall and, without fail, a Happy Birthday sign will show up on your porch for your special day.

If home is where the heart is, then the neighborhood must be like some other major organ - one that you might technically be able to live without but that makes life so, so much more pleasant!

Free As A Bird

Saw this hungry fellow near East Campus a few weeks back. He was fearless and inspires me to be. So much uncertainty these days. There are universal issues like the economy, the job market, and environmental sustainability and then there are the hundred-and-one uncertainties specific to each of us. Will the gas bill break the bank this month? Will we be able to find a sitter for Wednesday? Will I pass this week's CNA skills?

In times like these, it would be easy to lose focus, to feel defeated or to simply put yourself on autopilot and sink into a comfort zone. But then the cosmos sends you a sign, a sign that says be strong, fly straight and show no fear. You're free as a bird.