Random Connect Points:
Reba's Stories

I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. I attempted to publish a neighborhood magazine in the fourth grade. I wrote for the high school paper. I went to college thinking I wanted to be a newspaper reporter. I won a VFW essay writing contest in the fifth grade. I’ve always loved to write letters. But I’ve always struggled with exactly what it means to be a writer. Can you officially be a writer just because you write? How many published books, poems, magazine articles or songs does it take to officially be a writer? What makes someone fit the definition of a writer? And who is the keeper of that definition, anyway? Merriam Webster? Anne Lamott? Mrs. Hanna, my eighth grade English teacher? How is questioning whether I can be called a writer just because I write any different from questioning if I can I be called a musician because I play music? Or can I be labeled a gardener because I have a straggly herb garden? Can I be described as a cook because I make...

Rarely does a book appeal to all my “reading” senses – well written, important message, compelling story and human connections. “Grace Will Lead Us Home” about the shootings at Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church is one of them. I recently listened to an interview on the SC Lede podcast on SC Public Radio with the author of the book, Jennifer Berry Hawes . She’s a reporter for the Post and Courier who witnessed first-hand many of the details surrounding this tragedy. After hearing Hawes’ podcast interview, I knew I had to read this book. And I knew I had to buy it and not just borrow it from the library or listen on Audible. I had a feeling it would be one of those books I’d want to mark up and re-read. For anyone who thinks they have an understanding of the circumstances, the emotions, the complexities or the passions surrounding the shooting, the trial and the its aftershocks, this book illustrates there’s far more to this story than just an accounting of events in a series of ...

How many times have you ridden by this tree at that funny little triangular intersection of Millwood and Butler near the Mad Platter? There’s a lovely oak tree planted in the center surrounded by various plants kept up by the City of Columbia. There’s also a plaque dedicated to the memory of those who died 25 years ago today in the crash of a US Air jet en route from Columbia to Charlotte.   Of the 57 people on the plane, 37 died. One was our friend, Gaines Jontz. He was one of the first friends we made when we moved to Columbia in 1993. A talented architect with a quick wit and generous heart, Gaines brought many into his circle of friends. Our friendship with Gaines is one of those random connect points in life that lasts a lifetime. I am so grateful that, thanks to the web of connections he left behind, so many of these friendships remain. He brought people together in his life and has continued to do so even after he died. Because of Gaines, our ...

Every year on May 23, I have a little personal celebration to observe my "adultiversary" - the first day at my first "real life" job  – the receptionist to a freshman Congressman on Capitol Hill.  Back on my 30th “adultiversary,” I wrote this essay for a national trade magazine about 20 pieces of advice for young professionals. I always like to go back and revisit these each year on May 23 to see what I’d add to the list (the farewell post I wrote in December when I retired expands on a number of these). But now that I’ve taken on the new role as a “rookie retiree,” I have a little different perspective on life lessons that have emerged without the constraints, labels and stresses of the daily work grind. As I've tried to live out my goal of spending money on experiences rather than things in my new world order, I've discovered a few new truths. 1 – It’s OK to be a beginner. I wrote about this earlier this year, but this revelation makes me re...

Flossie and me leaving PetsInc It’s National Rescue Dog Day, and I hit the jackpot back in September when I adopted Flossie, a medium-sized lab-ish beauty. Here’s our story. During Hurricane Florence, I went to PetsInc to walk some of the dogs that had been evacuated from a shelter along the coast. I’d done this before during an earlier hurricane and saw that I could fill a short-term need they had at the shelter. My beloved golden retriever, Dixie, had died about nine months earlier, and I was in the early stages of debating if it was time to start looking for another dog - a golden for sure ( read that post here ). Since I was set on a golden - and figured it was pretty unlikely to find exactly what I was looking for that day – I wasn’t too worried about being tempted to bring a dog home. I walked 15 or so dogs of all shapes and sizes in the drizzle on a nice wooded path area behind PetsINc. They each got a little loving, a few loops around the path and plenty of time t...

The words to an old favorite song from the Sound of Music kept rattling around in my head as I was listing to a podcast by the author Emily P. Freeman who has a new book out about how people make decisions. The podcast episode focused on a chapter about the importance of accepting how to be a “beginner.” As the song said, “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. When you read you begin with ABC, when you sing, you begin with Do Ra Me.” That song just happened to be the first one I tackled when I started piano lessons in January after a 50-year hiatus. This writer’s discussion about being a beginner prompted me to reflect on a question that I’ve been asked quite often now that I’m a little over 90 days into my new career as a “rookie retiree ” - what’s the most important thing I’ve learned from this new adventure? Drip - best place to write I considered all I’ve learned about which coffee shops are the best place to write or how Target has a whole di...

It's Flossie here - guest writer for the day.  I know how much my human loves her "side hustle" freelance writing - especially when she has the chance to really dig into some of the stories of the people she's gotten to interview. She's talked my floppy ears off about this one. For the April article in Columbia Metropolitan Magazine about local k-9 units , she got to sit down with Sgt. Cynthia Waggoner of the Columbia PD. Cynthia spent almost two hours with my human in Drip on a cold rainy day talking about what she does, why she does it and how she does it. Cynthia talked with such passion about the dogs, their training and their lifestyles. But what really struck my human the most was the connection between the human and K-9 officers. My human and I have a great connection, but this sounded different. Cynthia talked about how they were almost in each others' heads, knowing each other thoughts and anticipating each others' next mo...