Published inILLUMINATION-Curated·PinnedMember-onlyThe Career With Huge Upside That I Never Saw ComingPrompt engineering has a long and rich future ahead — Imagine this. Three highly educated baby boomers and four digital natives (think Gen Z) are on a veranda overlooking a picturesque range of mountains in sunny California. It is early evening, and we’ve got nothing but time on our hands. So where do you think our conversation goes? To ChatGPT…ChatGPT6 min readChatGPT6 min read
Published inMIDFORM·PinnedMember-onlyHow Taking a Timeout Saved MeI’m like a battery that needs recharging sometimes! — It was the weirdest thing. My mom was so happy. Coach had figured out a way for me to make friends and grow my world, and it was working! Or so it seemed. I started a chess club. I helped kids with math homework. I even had people at lunch…Downtime4 min readDowntime4 min read
Published inThe Haven·PinnedMember-onlyThere Are ConsequencesThe laugh that started my day — Everyone needs to start their day with at least one good laugh. Here was mine: My husband and I are finishing a quick breakfast (yes, everything in the morning must be quick so that we can be model 21st-century efficient citizens of our productive economy). After breakfast, we take our…Dogs2 min readDogs2 min read
Published inILLUMINATION-Curated·PinnedMember-onlyIf You Were to Tell a 12-Year-Old Three Things To Foster Self-Contentment…What would they be? — Author’s note: This is the first of a series I am testing where I share with 12-year-olds small, teaspoon-full ideas to manage life. The title will change but not the message. Adults have so much to say, and some of it might actually be useful. The rest should go in…Youth4 min readYouth4 min read
Published inThe Shortform·19 hours agoMember-onlyThe Law of ReciprocityDoes it apply to Medium? — I bake — scones, rich chocolate cake, challah. My neighbor bakes too — ricotta pie, focaccia, apple pie. We bring each other the fruits of our labor — reciprocity at its best. The same cannot be said about Medium, and I wonder, Is that ok? My most read piece on…Medium1 min readMedium1 min read
Published inILLUMINATION-Curated·3 days agoMember-onlyGiving ChatGPT a Test RunIn a world of fiction that involves times travel, disaster, and a potential hero — Variety is the spice of life, and that includes how we choose to test and process the future of ChatGPT. I was pretty ordinary in my testing, with a few odd scenarios that included: A couple on the verge of retirement (but not quite) and having a difficult time resolving…ChatGPT3 min readChatGPT3 min read
Published inMIDFORM·4 days agoMember-onlyWhen My Anger Didn’t Know Its HomeAnd home was the place I didn’t want to be — I didn’t know I could get this angry. Sure, I’ve been upset before. You lose a chess match, and chess is your thing. Baseball has given me many mad moments. But this was different. I found out who my dad was — a journalist killed in the field. And I…Fiction4 min readFiction4 min read
Published inInspired Writer·5 days agoMember-onlyStanding on the Mountain of No’sAnd finding our “yes.” — I spent a good deal of last year hearing “No’s.” So much so that I wrote a piece about loving our rejections which got a strong Medium response. The piece was inspired by a quote of the day from Sylvia Plath and is posted below: “I Love My Rejection Slips” Is this the stupidest quote of the day?writingcooperative.com Today’s quote of the day…Rejection4 min readRejection4 min read
Published inMiddle-Pause·May 28Member-onlyI Finally Found My SportMovement meditation means I can do me while still claiming yoga — For years I played tennis. Then my knees started to complain. Now I’ve made a deal with my middle-aged body. I promise not to play tennis two days in a row. That seemed to work. But then my knees upped their bargain. They complained and whined when they saw stairs…Yoga5 min readYoga5 min read
Published inMIDFORM·May 18Member-onlyTitles Are Like Gift WrappingThey entice us to want to look inside — So since I know this to be true, why am I absolutely awful when it comes to writing a good title? The best I can say is, “You can only get better.” A Quick Assessment The first step in fixing a problem is admitting it. I looked at some of my strongest performing…Titles And Headings3 min readTitles And Headings3 min read