Imagine how different our lives would be if there was no "norm" to be measured against. For just a moment, pretend you are Leonardo da Vinci, a child living in 15th century Florence, who loves to draw and is good at it. You're fortunate to be apprenticed to the greatest artist of your region, a man named Andrea del Verrocchio. Soon you surpass the skill of this tough taskmaster and become one of the great painters of the Italian Renaissance. But because you’re also intrigued by science, engineering, music, and philosophy, people criticize you in a hurtful way. They say you suffer from an attention disorder because rather than just focusing on art, you flit from topic to topic.

If you know what chiasmus is and already appreciate its unique character, you needn't read further. But if like me, you're discovering this rhetorical device for the first time, it's like finding a hidden treasure. We've all heard chiasmi (yes, that's the plural) used in speeches, lyrics of songs, and comedy routines, but until now I didn't recognize them by name. So let me introduce you to chiasmus and get ready for fun!

If you want to know what’s important to you, notice what you photograph. We take photos to memorialize people and events: pictures of family, friends, achievements, celebrations, holidays, work, travel, pets, home, art, and nature. We take photos to remind us of what’s meaningful in our lives, and although I hadn’t thought about it until this Memorial Day holiday, our photos create visual memories of the Four Freedoms President Franklin D. Roosevelt talked about when he said, ”People everywhere in the world ought to enjoy: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.”  

Do you enjoy coffee? For me, awakening to the aroma of brewing coffee is a welcome way to start the day. The bitter taste awakens my taste buds and the caffeine enlivens my energy. But the conflicting rumors about whether coffee is good for us or not has interfered with my full enjoyment of every delicious sip – until now. Here’s the truth about coffee.

Do you like doing jigsaw puzzles? When I was growing up, chicken pox, measles, and mumps were still common childhood illnesses. As soon as symptoms appeared, the 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle came out of some secret hiding place in our home. Its purpose was to focus small bites of my attention and to keep my hands too busy to scratch! Puzzles are a low tech, compelling way to engage when physical energy is limited but focus is not.