A Note of Thanks

Story by Rossyyume Flickr CC BY NC ND I love stories. Especially people's stories. The stories they've created. The stories that created them. Stories were a big part of why I majored in Journalism. It was an excuse to listen to people tell their stories. As a 19-year-old soon-to-be Journalism student, my goal was to live in a tiny apartment with five cats and interview interesting people all day. And while it's probably best for everyone -- including the cats -- that the career muses didn't send me down that path, I am still drawn to the experiences of others and how they share those memories and ideas. It's fascinating to me that we now have so many ways to tell stories -- ours and others. So many ways to document our lives, the lives of the people we know and the people we pretend to be. With each story comes a chance to put ourselves in someone else's shoes. In doing so, we get a little more understanding of how similar we all are. Here are a few ...

Flame by Annie Roi via Flickr CC BY The textbook industry is pretty cyclical. For the past few months, our department has been climbing the hill of adoptions and estimated enrollments. And August has been the screaming, downhill plunge of student orders and last minute changes. Despite checklists, reminders and careful planning, things don't go quite right. Constant phone calls. Flooded inboxes. Welcome to rush. It's hard to keep a smile and a positive attitude when it seems every voice mail starts a new fire. As soon as one problem is resolved, three more are hurtled through the interwebs. And yet, she does. She's been through enough rushes to know this is how it is. That a complaint is a chance to turn a problem into a solution. That it will slow down. Things will work the way they are supposed to or we will figure out a different way. It will get done. Sometimes it's just as important to thank someone for who they are as it is for things they do. When every...

This is my dog, Shiloh. She would very much like to smell you. There comes a time in every child's life when they realize if they have money, they can buy the things they want. Then comes the persistent pursuit of money. The joy of the stray penny on the ground. The countdown to holidays. Perhaps even graduating to extra chores for an additional dollar or two. With age comes responsibility and the desire for clothes not from Target. And while the willingness for the extra jobs to pay for Gap jeans and Jordans might be strong, the organizational skills and work ethic may still need a little molding. I travel regularly for work. This is something I enjoy. It is not something my dog enjoys. My cat, however, seems to be indifferent. There is a young lady, about 12, who I hire to check in with my animals to make sure they get food and attention and cause minimal destruction to my house while I'm away. She lives down the street and her parents are family friends. While the dau...