“My Daddy Changed the World”

Of all the imagery, demonstrations, dialogue and destruction unleashed after George Floyd died, nothing impacted me more than those simple words from his young daughter. The pride and the hope captured in that short sentence has powered a global body of work for twelve months. I wish we could celebrate more clear progress toward dismantling…

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Personal Responsibility 2.0

Nine months ago I wrote about the chances of 328+ million Americans accepting personal responsibility for fighting the pandemic. At the time, a well-orchestrated response was not in place and there was a great deal of fear about how best to fight COVID-19. Adding to the anxiety was the civic unrest unleashed weeks earlier by…

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Forging Steel

The continuing pressure of pandemic restrictions and worries, the omnipresent atmosphere of dissonance in our communities and the dysfunction in our politics: all of this collectively has led me to wondering about the forging of steel.  I am, of course, no expert on the topic, but have toured through a few factories and they left…

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Recovery: Can We Accomplish It Equitably?

Spring is in the air…a massive legislative package has passed through Congress, checks are on their way to people who really need them…and as a result, many of us are starting to talk and think about ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’ of COVID-19. Though there remain serious risks and challenges to overcome,…

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Virtual Travel

I got vaccinated over the weekend (the ‘one-and-done’ J&J version) and so am beginning to process what this might mean for my 2021 plans. The emerging CDC guidance gives me hope that I can hang out with my granddaughter again soon, for which I am truly grateful. I will welcome the opportunities to wander into…

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From Reckoning to Shared Fate

Today was to be the start of the jury selection process for a trial in Minneapolis: former police officer Derek Chauvin faces charges of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. It will be delayed slightly by continuing legal considerations, but will be underway soon, causing my hometown to again become the focal…

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On the cusp…

I believe most of us are experiencing some form of the anxiety that exists when so many aspects of our lives have undergone changes and we are not yet comfortable with the consequences of those shifts. We have navigated through the terror of the early stages of the pandemic, moved into the painstakingly slow period…

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Cold Snap Reflections

While myriad parts of the world are grappling with snowstorms and icy roads or heavy rains and flooding, and all the misery that comes with those challenges, I am sitting in Minnesota – famous for such weather disruptions – experiencing a different, surprisingly helpful reality: it has been really, really (really!) cold here for a…

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Valentines

I will admit that I have, on a few occasions, made fun of the ‘holidays’ invented by Hallmark and other greeting card purveyors (Mother-in-Law Day, We-Love-Our-Principal Day, Happy Pet Groomer Day). And now that greeting cards can routinely cost $4.00 or more, many of us have decided to only send greetings to our curated ‘friends’…

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