Blog

A faceless snowman opened his Christmas gift and felt two lumps of coal. “What!? You are giving me two lumps of coal?” he exclaimed with disappointment to the giver. “Let me show you how to use them,” responded the giver.  And she placed the lumps of coal on the snowman’s empty face. “Wow! Now I can see!” said the snowman. “You did not need lumps of coal to see,” said the giver. “Vision  comes from within.” Do you have a blind spot that is impacting your vision? Lack of any vision is probably the #1 reason we fail to move forward. And

I just spent a delightful Thanksgiving with a combination of old friends and new acquaintances. It was like spending time with an adopted family since my blood and by-marriage families were scattered here and there. My mother likes to say”Good friends are the family you choose.” I agree with this. Some of my dear friends are family to me. At our Thanksgiving meal we were not a group to hold hands, say prayers, take time to talk about what we are thankful for, or embrace any spiritual traditions. Instead, we dove into our meal with gustatory pleasure, toasted each other and to life with great wine and shared alot

November is both the kindest and cruelest month. It is the kindest because I have alot of work projects, and it is the cruelist because me time escapes me. But back on track we are with a very recent observation and inspiration I want to share with you. I spoke on a panel at the Les Dames d’Escoffier International Conference in Atlanta November 5th on the subject of “Reinventing Your Career.” This is a topic near and dear to my heart, and I was honored to be on the panel with three other dynamic entrepreneurs from Atlanta. I spoke of “re-purposing

I have been reading alot of writings these days to gain perspective as to how other people, especially women, find balance and harmony in their work-play lives, handle stress, laugh off hormonal fluxes and flummoxing, and deal with the daily challenges of finding more time to spend doing the things you enjoy with less money to spend doing them. Ever since the economy has been in reverse it seems so has my income. It makes you wonder what the purpose is in working so much harder and getting so much less out of it. Ultimately, it is not just about the money. It is the basic question: What

Like most of the world I found out about the passing of Apple’s Steve Jobs on a device he created, my IPhone. And like so many, I researched his speeches and quotes, moved by the death of a great man who connected the world in so many ways. Beyond his technological accomplishments, I was touched by a man who was a visionary, a dreamer, an innovator, a doer, a fighter and a survivor- a man who spoke his mind, followed his intuition and never compromised. He faced both life and death head on and kept his head and heart intact. He had a vision and built a company only to have

Some people compare their lives to a book or to characters on television of in a movie. I like to compare the stages of my life to different songs. I even write my own words.  Maybe it’s my Tennessee roots, growing up near Music City and the “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” but I am convinced some of my songs would make a great country-western hit. When I was single, and wanderlust was the only lust in my life, I wrote a song called “Love Don’t Stick To My Teflon Heart.” I still have the lyrics typed on a piece of paper

Sunday, September 11, will mark the tenth anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States that brought down four airplanes, the World Trade Towers and close to 3000 lives, but brought together a community of Americans and its allies in solidarity against terrorism.  I was in New York that day, and my apartment’s patio had a direct view of the collapse of the towers and shocked crowds on the streets. Close enough to see the fireball blaze and the slow disintegration of skyscraper but far enough to avoid the crush of debris and smoke. Every year since that day I have quietly listened to the roll

I have a favorite quote: “Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It is about learning to dance in the rain.” In our lifetimes, all of us will have to face stormy days, stormy experiences, stormy relationships.  This past weekend Hurricane Irene bore down on the East Coast, a category 3 storm at first, downgraded to category 1 when it hit New York and eventually becoming a tropical storm. Preparedness was key to avoiding disaster. Coastal towns and low lying areas including lower Manhattan were evacuated. Mass transit was stopped. Medical and police personnel were on alert. The storm tore through the East Coast in the course of three

“Reinvention”- It is a word I use alot. After my cancer treatment was over, I reinvented my look, shorter blonder hair and leaner body. I reinvented my diet: more fruits and vegetables; less sugar and fat; no red meat; no fried foods. I reinvented my business, now called The Connected Table, with new, streamlined and more alternative forms of marketing and promotion. And I have been working on reinventing other areas of my life, as a consultant, advocate, mentor and writer. We all have the potential to reinvent ourselves if we choose to do so.  You just have to want to do it, aim at the goal and focus. It may take time,

I am overwhelmed by people who want to connect with me. This blog was just spammed by strangers who want to “connect” with GTOMC. Every day my inbox is flooded with people who want me to Link In, Tweet Up, Branch Out, join the (fill-in-the-blank Community), join a discount group and so forth. Connecting with people should be a good thing. I started a new business this year called The Connected Table to define what I do best: connecting people to products, causes, events and experiences. A lot of what I do is online and very productive and beneficial, but

August 6 is an important date in my life. First, it is the date I was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago, so today is my “cancer-versary.” Second, it is the date 13 years ago when I adopted my precious Maltese pooch Chance, my best friend in fur, so I am also celebrating  my “chance-aversary.” To celebrate my cancer-versary, I am writing all my doctors to thank them, and I am thanking all of my friends and support network who stuck bymy. And I am giving Chance an extra special treat for dinner tonight! With all the talk now about debt and the seriousness of our country’s