Ready or not, the torch is passed

Written by Shelley Plett Wednesday, 12 December 2007 15:50

“Sing out loud in the car even, or especially, if it embarrasses your children.” —Marilyn Penland

 

The torch was passed. It happened in a stadium full of thousands of hyperventilating tweens wearing thousands of dollars of concert tour T-shirts. Subconsciously I knew it was coming. But even though it was unapparent to the average observer, I felt it like a punch in the gut.

I am undeniably “the mother.” There are two full generations growing and thriving beneath my own.

And I’m closer to 40 than 30. There, I said it.

Sigh.

It’s not that I don’t have experience being the mom. I’ve been at it a few years and am comfortable with the title. If nature follows its usual course, I have a couple of good years of...

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Sisters offer their "Satellite" tributes

Written by Shelley Plett Wednesday, 28 November 2007 01:35

“Not every conversation will change your life, but any conversation can.” —The Satellite Sisters

“The Satellite Sisters” is a syndicated radio show created by and featuring five real life sisters, The Dolans. Family and friendship are their platforms.

In their book, “Satellite Sisters’ UnCommon Senses,” each sister talks about the five most important senses in their lives: a sense of connection, sense of self, sense of humor, sense of adventure and sense of direction.

On a recent vacation at sea, my own sisters—minus one, to our disappointment—myself, and our mom had the chance to tap into all of those senses and more. (Even the one about direction, if not implied literally.)

Unlike the Satellites, we don’t...

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Good stress is "warm chocolate melt"

Written by Shelley Plett Wednesday, 14 November 2007 08:35

“On vacations: We hit the sunny beaches where we occupy ourselves keeping the sun off our skin, the saltwater off our bodies, and the sand out of our belongings.”

—Erma Bombeck

Ahhh, vacation: sweet moments of suspended reality worthy of pinched pennies and dreams.

Psychology types say there are two kinds of stress: good stress and bad stress.

Good stressors might be work, kids, holidays and family vacations. Bad stressors may be things like work, kids, holidays and family vacations.

OK, bad examples.

I think, though, that stressors can tie in with each other. Work stress leads to home stress leads to financial stress leads to holiday stress leads to...and so on.

If that’s the case, the only alternative is to focus...

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Would like a side of cash with that?

Written by Shelley Plett Wednesday, 24 October 2007 11:07

“Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.”—Albert Einstein

 

“Read it with a grain of salt, then tell me what you think,” my sister said as she slipped a copy of “The Secret” into my hand.

I glanced around and quickly stuffed the book into my bag, feeling that I had somehow just stepped within the grasp of some bazaar metaphysical society. (No offense to my sister, she’ll understand. I think.)

But I also wondered if the world as I knew it was about to change.

Well, not really. But I was still curious.

“The Secret,” if you haven’t heard about it, is a book and DVD by Rhonda Byrne, an Australian television producer, and packaged as the answer to...

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