6th Grade. Clarendon School. First day of Mrs. Domini’s class. “Besides your homework, a big part of your grade will be class participation,” she announced. I didn’t hear anything she said after that. Asking me to raise my hand and make comments or ask questions in class was like asking me to bungee jump off […]
Listening
How to Talk to a Real Person
“Welcome to our hotel,” the desk clerk said. I’ve heard those words thousands of times over the years. Most of the time, they’re spoken by a smiling employee who wants my first encounter with the hotel to be positive. “We have your payment information on file . . . breakfast starts at 6:00 . . […]
The One Problem with Mockingbirds
It’s June in Southern California. That means it’s mockingbird time. As we sat on the patio for dinner tonight, a mockingbird serenaded us. I’m always amazed, because they have so many different songs in their repertoire. They’ve been created with the ability to “mock” other birds, duplicating up to 200 different calls – clearly and […]