We’ve followed the rules, we’ve tried to stay home, we’ve avoided close contact with people who are sick. We've kept distance between us and others. We've washed our hands often throughout the day and avoided touching our eyes, nose, and mouth. We've covered our mouths when we coughed or sneezed and we've cleaned and disinfected... Continue Reading →
In the middle of a pandemic: Grateful for the little things
People who know me know that I try to write my wife a short note once a week. We met via long distance in the days before online dating and text messaging and it's been a good way to keep us in touch and grounded. The letters are a story for another day, but my... Continue Reading →
We’re in this together
When terrorists struck the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Northern Virginia., and a third jet that crashed in a small field in Somerset County on September 11, 2001, first responders, firemen, and police rushed to help the survivors. In the days that followed, we... Continue Reading →
Coronavirus: Relearning good manners
You've heard the message. We've heard it so much over the past three weeks, you can probably repeat it in your sleep: Wash your hands. Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough. Stay inside if you’re sick. Be kind to others. The medical doctor on TV talked animatedly with her hands to the reporters... Continue Reading →
Surviving social distancing!
We've all had crazy weeks. Everyone across the globe, from Australia to Hungary, Ireland to Mongolia, Norway to Zambia, and a million other places in between, has been trying to deal with the Coronavirus the best they can. Here's how I've survived in my little neck of the woods: --I tried to write a new... Continue Reading →
We have options
I missed the cut. I could cry my eyes out or to steal a cliché, I could get back up on the horse and try again. I was in my mid 20s and I was applying for a newspaper reporter position back in Pennsylvania. My fiancé, now my wife, and I were in Northern Virginia... Continue Reading →
The sound of silence
I took the train home from work recently and I looked to be the lone person on the car without headphones. I noticed it first on the platform: everyone was head-down, headphones in place, looking at their phones. Later on the train, I sat up at one point to stretch my neck and looked in... Continue Reading →
Feeling like an imposter
I hit the restart button. My laptop screen quickly dimmed to black and started the process of rebooting. I turned my smartphone over to see the time and reflexively looked at my watch, as if the two actions combined would miraculously speed up the laptop reboot. I was going to be late to my 9... Continue Reading →
Take me home country roads
I can sense it coming. The feeling starts out like a distant ache. I’ll push it back to the back of my mind in the hopes that it will go away. My attempt to keep my focus to “the here and now” will work for a while, but the feeling will soon come back. This... Continue Reading →

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