‘stories’ Category

Central Library and the Grand Canyon

Standing on the south rim of the Grand Canyon with my father a few years back he commented, “It’s too big.” My dad doesn’t know how to sip a moment. He gulps down places as if he were dying of thirst for experience. And if the experience of a place is too big to fit […]

My Summer Executive Retreat

I don’t own a motorcycle. “I’m never going to learn how to ride a motorcycle.” This was the sentence that popped into my head while I was working on a set of designs for activating underused public spaces in Indianapolis. Much of the work Rebecca and I do addresses the difficulties inherent in bringing people […]

River

“Creativity is a river. It has its slow parts and its fast parts. It’s always flowing. (pause) And, I’m beginning to figure out how to stay in my water.” These words were spoken last Friday by an eleven-year-old artist at a Theater of Inclusion week-long day camp. The camp is designed to be an arts […]

Burning House

Listening is part of a master set of skills. It doesn’t matter whether you are a bicyclist listening to the traffic behind you, a museum visitor taking in the words of your companion, or the leader of a project trying to run a meeting. Listening carefully to your surroundings and the people sharing those surroundings […]

I Need This

Using a paint splattered rag, the paint now dry, I wipe off a porcelain tray. I left it outside yesterday. Honeysuckle blossoms, redbud twigs, and gooey stuff from unknown sources have accumulated on its surface from an early morning rain. “I need this tray,” I tell myself. As the weather turns warm I take my […]

This Is Water

In the past week I have watched this beautiful video set to David Foster Wallace’s “This Is Water” commencement speech at Kenyon College no less than a dozen times. This speech is important to me for many reasons. In addition to being the theme of my recent wedding, I believe it speaks quite clearly to […]

First Run of the Season

Today began a process. A very long process. Today was my first official training run this year. I began running three years ago when I did a triathlon with a friend. I had never done any kind of athletic race before and it seemed like a fun challenge. At the time I couldn’t run a […]

Pretzels and Leadership

I smell pretzels. I’m outside the College Avenue Public Library. Across from me is 670 East 42nd Street where “A Taste of Philly” bakes its pretzels. The Edward Hopper-like view from where I stand puts this little scene into any town at any time. Inside there is a cooler full of drinks and a window […]

Everywhere We Go

“Everywhere we go we have a conversation about things with the people we find there.” This sentence comes out of my ninety-three year old father’s mouth. We’re sitting together near the window at Hubbard and Cravens coffee shop. He picked me up after I dropped my car off with the mechanic. Outside, even though its […]