The Ancient Egyptians believed we all die twice. First, when we take our last breath. Second, when our name is spoken for the last time. Their thinking was ahead of its time — they just got the ending wrong. Despite her Greek lineage and defeat by Rome, Cleopatra may lead…

This summer, I took part in the New England ritual of an over-the-fence conversation with my neighbor. She and I talked about the kids, how the gardens were doing, and then discussed our community’s approach for holding the COVID-19 delayed Town Meeting. The plan was to conduct the meeting outdoors…

For many, the word ‘diversity’ conjures up thoughts of affirmative action programs, quota systems, and giving an advantage to someone with less merit. Being angry is understandable when you work hard to achieve your goals only to see someone seemingly jump the line. We can dismiss these attempts to increase…

COVID-19 flipped our world. We were confused, afraid, suffered, adapted – and learned a lot about ourselves and others. As we get ready to plant our feet in the new normal, there is time to prepare for our landing in a changed world. Here are a few items to include…

Svelt was not one to brood over a loss. After his defeat on Clark Mountain, he retreated to the dark web with his Margosha and Putin avatars to work on Plan B. …

“Don’t feel bad, Timmy. The important people know who the real hero is.” It was Maria, offering encouragement as she, Timmy, and Violet sat on a couch in Rico’s apartment — Rico was in the kitchen cooking. They had come together for their regular Taco Tuesday dinner and were watching…

Maria immediately found herself in pitch black. “Ouch!” After bumping her head more than once, she turned around and saw Rico following with a flashlight he pulled from his tactical vest. “Figured you might need this,” he said. He shined the light down the tunnel. Strewn on the floor was…

Timmy was enjoying his role as lead human on the cyber defense team. Physically, he was still sitting in Maria’s office, but virtually, he was in the war room with Samantha and Gordon Blatt. The team also had one addition. The ever protective Violet had tracked Maria and Timmy to…