Moments That Matter

Hello Reader, “There are years you think about for moments, and moments you think about for years.” Mitch Albom, Twice Read that again. “…moments you think about for years.” You probably have one. Maybe more than one. What’s one of yours? Don’t search for the most important moment of your life. Don't overthink it either. Just notice what comes to mind. Go there for a moment. Where were you? Who was there? What happened? How long ago was it? And then sit with one more question: Why that...

Hello Reader, Remember on Tuesday when I asked: How far can one moment travel? My friend Randy offered one answer. More than 40 years. He remembers saying to a friend: “I bet you think I’m pretty stupid, huh?” Her response was nine words: “Oh no I don’t, I think you’re pretty neat.” Randy has never forgotten them. But here’s the part that continues to linger in my mind: She doesn’t remember saying them. Randy has told her how much those words meant to him and that he still remembers them all...

Hello Reader, Think of something someone said to you years ago that you still remember. Got it? Maybe it was only a few words. Maybe the person who said them has long since forgotten. But you haven’t. That has me wondering about the moments we continue to carry long after they happen. A conversation you still remember. An act of kindness you never forgot. Someone believing in you when you needed it. A moment someone else may not even remember, but you do. Some moments last only seconds. But...

Hello Reader, Can you remember when someone made you feel truly seen? Take a moment. Don’t think about what being seen means. Think about a person. Think about a moment. Someone who made you feel genuinely seen. Got someone? Stay with that memory for a moment. REMEMBER Think of the person who made you feel genuinely seen. NOTICE What did they do? REFLECT What difference did it make? How did you feel? If someone came to mind, I’d love to hear your story. Hit reply and tell me about the person,...

Hello Reader, How are you spending the moments that are becoming your life? Writer Annie Dillard died this week. One sentence from her book The Writing Life has stayed close to me for years: “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” Her words have me wondering about an even smaller unit of our lives: The moment. How we spend our moments is how we spend our days. And how we spend our days is how we spend our lives. Our lives are shaped not only by milestones, but by...

Hello Reader, What if some of the moments that matter most don’t seem important while they’re happening? Think about your own life for a moment. Some moments announce their arrival. A birth. A death. A diagnosis. A wedding. A new job. A goodbye. You know while you’re living them: This matters. But lately I’ve been increasingly curious about another kind of moment. The ordinary ones. A conversation you almost didn’t have. Someone remembering your name. A question asked at just the right time....

Hello Reader, Two weeks ago, a small group of people joined me for a simple experiment: Seven Days of Noticing. No lessons. No framework. No definition of what they should notice. Just live your ordinary life. And notice what you notice. A few things surprised and inspired us. Some people found that, as the week went on, they began noticing without trying so hard to notice. We discovered that noticing doesn’t always require doing something. Sometimes it leads to kindness, connection, or...

Hello Reader, For seven days, a small group of us tried a simple experiment. Live your life. And notice what you notice. We didn’t tell people what to look for. There was no quota. Nothing had to be profound. And there was no particular conclusion we were hoping anyone would reach. People simply noticed. And they noticed all kinds of things. Things happening around them. Things happening within them. Nature. Other people. Kindness. Beauty. Frustration. Connection. Their own reactions....

Hello Reader, It’s been a while. Several months, actually, since I’ve written to you. That wasn’t something I planned. This year has taken some unexpected turns, and there have been times when I’ve simply felt overwhelmed and haven’t had much I felt compelled to say. But something has been happening in the quiet. I’ve been fascinated by moments for years now. Lately, I’ve been paying attention to them differently. Ordinary moments. Conversations with strangers. Moments with family and...

Hello Reader, YOU might try this in your next meeting. Not before it. At the very beginning. The way you open a meeting sets the tone, energy, and pace for what follows. Instead of jumping straight into updates…start somewhere different. Take a moment and ask: What’s worth celebrating? (since our last meeting) Something small. Something recent. Something real. Let people respond. Let the room settle into it. Then shift the frame slightly. Before we move on…let’s try something a little...