The Notecard
My younger self smiles at me as I sift through old photographs stored in a tattered cardboard box. Finally, under snapshots of my baby sister, and those of my parents in their thirties and forties, I find the note.
It’s a garden-variety notecard with watercolour flowers on the front, perfect for writing an obligatory thank you note. It once carried the scent of my mother — a combination of cigarettes, hand lotion and
Expiration Date: Outliving My Heart
“This is the natural end-stage of your disease. There is nothing more we can do for you.” Those are the words my cardiologist of twenty years said to me shortly after my thirty-sixth birthday. Diagnosed at the age of seven with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, a congenital heart defect, I lived with the specter of death for three decades.
Jeff Sutherland: Go Scrum Yourself
Scrum pioneer Jeff Sutherland discusses how applying Scrum principles to personal goals can help you take action, prioritize effectively, and avoid deathbed regrets.
Walking in Circles
Even though it was 275 miles away from Houston, where I live, the Uvalde massacre at Robb Elementary in May 2022 got to me. All the school shootings bothered me, but this time I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t shake the idea that adults were doing wrong by kids. We insisted they go to school, but couldn’t guarantee their safety there.
Role Models
When I turned 65 last spring, I was pumped. My Medicare was secure, I was healthy, and… my debut memoir was being released the day after my birthday. What more could I have asked for? I felt young, revitalized and looking forward to what would come next.