The most important stories are the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves.
When my daughter, Meghan, called the AMFA to enroll herself and my granddaughter in an art class, she was told, because of their age difference, they couldn’t take a class together.
I wanted to wait a week longer to tell everyone the good news but, as anyone who knows me will tell you, I can’t keep a secret, especially a good one.
This is an unexpected trick I stumbled upon that has added some pizazz to my marriage and that I’ve shared with a few friends. Surprising to all of us, it works. (And, no, I am not talking about anything sexual.)
Excited and shaking in my boots describes how I felt while on my way to Russellville, Arkansas to speak to 400 bright Arkansas Governor’s School students. I didn’t know what to expect. Kids can be a tough audience. But, besides middle-aged men, they are also one of my favorite demographics and, early on in my speech, I told them so; for which I got a round of applause and realized they were going to be a fun group.
Problem solving in groups is one of my favorite things to do. I’d like to think I’m good at it and, usually, people like the things they are good at.
When I read about crime in Little Rock, I am baffled; it peeks my problem-solving interest. Why does it continue to get worse rather than better? It makes me want to ask questions.
Arkansas doesn’t have a pro team, but it feels like we do. The University of Arkansas Razorbacks are our state’s passion. In sports bars and restaurants, alike, fans show support by unabashedly “calling the Hogs” and then high fiving each other in solidarity.
I realize that the thought of getting older is not usually an item on one’s gratitude list. But it is on mine, and not because I am a cancer survivor, or anything. It is much simpler than that.
There is no scientific proof that war is ingrained in human nature, according to a study by Brian Ferguson, professor of anthropology at Rutgers University-Newark.
But I don’t need scientific proof to know that every Fall, as deer season approaches, my husband and late father would get an itch. A drive to get outdoors, feel the change of season, and shoot something.
I am often aligned with creative people. In the past, I wondered why, because I didn’t feel like I had any discernible art-form. Then, one day, while interviewing a guest on Up In Your Business, I realized that business itself is creative and that problem solving with others, in the frame of business, is my art-form.
Meet Robert Ray from Michigan. He climbs flagpoles. Through NIFDA, we learned of Robert’s nerves of steel and hired him to climb the 30 ft. flagpole atop the five story Federal Bankruptcy Court building in downtown Little Rock.
It is not easy to be the rule enforcer at home or at work. The answers of how, when, and what actions should be taken, will be lessened by following these simple and straightforward rules.


