You cannot harm me. You cannot harm One who has dreamed a dream like mine, One who has seen the buffalo in their mighty lodge And heard them say, "Arrows cannot harm you now!" Sioux/Chippewa chant sung in times of danger to invoke the protective, invincible spirit of the buffalo. After the Louisiana Purchase was signed in 1803 and during our country’s westward expansion (which lasted from 1803-1890) the Indigenous people of the Americas, or “the savages” as they were commo

It seems like everyone and their mother has a podcast these days. When I started writing this blog, several readers told me that “nobody reads anymore,” so if I wanted to share my thoughts I should do so via the spoken word, not a written blog. I chose not to follow that advice for several reasons. A. What would I talk about? B. I think I can write a piece that can hold the someone’s attention for 5 to 7 minutes max, but not an hour! (Or sometimes even longer.) C.

Because my mother is aging fast and I am her legal health care proxy I have spent a lot of time around nurses this year. And they have been amazing. Their compassion and patience, no matter how demanding the patient, astounds me. Elderly people (like all of us but maybe more so) can be very demanding. I imagine it is scary for my mother to be 91 years old. It's the end of the party for her...and she knows it. What we don't know is what happens next. When we discuss her “next

My first crush, which felt an awful lot like love, was on a Muppet. I was five years old when I first saw him in all his square-jawed yellow-tinged glory. His name was Guy Smiley and he was the most self-assured, well-dressed, manly Muppet I had ever seen. My love for him felt real and secure. He would be able to take care of me. This unrequited love affair with Guy lasted for about two years until, in second grade, I saw a photo of Roger Daltry from the rock band The Who. In

My friend Bridget is twenty years younger than I am but despite our age gap we are close. Our friendship started when we were working together for the same client and although that client has come and gone, our bond has remained. Bridget is a lovely girl - bright, charming, witty and accomplished. Yet despite all these attributes she has been unlucky in love. Or should I say she had been unlucky in love…until she met Peter. Peter is a tall strapping fellow. He is bright, hand

A curmudgeon is a crusty, ill-tempered and often elderly person who is consistently cranky, stubborn, and disagreeable. Appearing in English in the late 16th century the word’s exact origin is unknown, though it was previously thought to stem from the French “coeur” and “mechant” (meaning “evil heart’). Several weeks ago I was slogging away in my office. My work that week was bureaucratic and unrewarding. Creating estimates for possible clients interested in my services. Co