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Showing posts from January, 2021

A Love Letter to the U.S. Capitol

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Taken Feb '12. One of my favorite photos of the Capitol Lots of Americans probably sat in front of their screens on January 6 like I did. We watched the events unfold in complete disbelief with the feeling that the attack on the Capitol was personal. It is, after all, the people’s house – our seat of government, safe and welcoming, open and accessible to all. The U.S. Capitol is a magical building. The majestic entrances. The mysterious tunnels. The history that reeks from every nook and cranny. The ghosts of past debates, statesmanship and diplomacy. The odd architectural quirks. The winding hallways, hideaway offices and expansive staircases. The imposing statues of American heroes. The massive artwork that tells the story of our country’s history. The Capitol Connection My first “real life” job out of college was working on Capitol Hill as the receptionist for a freshman SC congressman. Our office was less than two football field lengths across the street from the Capitol. I pas

Fueling wider circle connections in a COVID world

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One surprising joy of this strange COVID holiday season has been the unexpected reminder of how my wider circles of friends and acquaintances provide necessary threads in my life fabric.  As a hearty extrovert who is an Enneagram Two and ENFJ, I thrive on being around people and finding connect points between them. But the opportunity for this type of interaction has been in short supply the past ten months. It wasn’t until the holiday season arrived that I realized how much I miss this wider circle of people in my world and the connections they bring. While I’ve made a real effort to stay connected to my family and inner circle of friends through frequent texts, Facetime, Zoom happy hours and outdoor visits, these wider circles of friends and acquaintances have been neglected - not intentionally so, but sidelined because of circumstance.  Regardless of how you may define them, we all have these wider circles of people in our lives who connect us to the world outside our own.  Maybe th