If you know my sister, Andrea, you will understand her preference for cats with a certain punk-rock personality, shall we say. When shopping for a new cat, she may be told: “Mittens has a loving personality, purrs all day, and loves to curl up with you for a relaxing nap.” …

An open letter to Medium — Dear members of Medium, Unlike the wars from generations past which were fought in static newspapers and through short television clips, the war for Ukraine is fought online. On Twitter, even. It is extremely personal. In your face, hauntingly close. In living color. Not black and white. Even though we…

How to quickly level up your marketing Hey guys, if I can do it. You can do it. I am a productive writer but I didn't know a thing about marketing myself. Let’s face it, Medium is the greatest thing since sliced bread. You get to share your writings and…

Just follow this simple but challenging checklist — Read, Write, Comment each and every day — Join a Zoom writing group. The London Writers Salon — (50-minute daily sessions) https://londonwriterssalon.com/ Follow and interact with great writers across platforms (Medium, LinkedIn, Twitter — each offers a different way to learn about someone) Play with pain. Write on days you…

You might want to check out this adventurous challenge — Just watched the end of it and the extended version. Need to share with the Medium Community. Travel, Hiking, and Just doing it! I don’t think I will ever hike the 1,100-mile AT. But Maddie just completed it and gave a daily insight into the blood, sweat, and amazing sites…

A Poem of Hope on reaching my 100th Story on Medium! — I made it finally, finally to 100 stories! I should be thrilled but I felt that it took way too long. What, almost 2 1/2 years? This day was the epitome of both my life and writing journey. I was deathly tired all day. Just exhausted. Too many work hours. …

World news is under-reporting on the most dangerous of countries finding peace — After working as a teacher in Central America and being a citizen ambassador in the region, I have been closely following the region’s health and welfare — or lack, thereof. One has to ask, how bad is it that human beings would be willing to risk it all, go on…

A movie helped me find the spirit to grow in this tricky stage of life — My father always said, “Getting older is not for whimps…” I am starting to embrace the “getting older” stage now at 65. A new club that never even had the decency of sending me an invitation. I was rudely just drafted. Yet today I feel light in both mind and…

This crazy mind of mine…. — I hate freewriting it is such a pain. Putting my head of confusion on paper…more painful than just being frustrated with a solid dose of cabin fever. I am in no threatened space. No tiger is about to eat me. Yet, I feel like I am being eaten by two…