Random Connect Points:
Reba's Stories

Birthdays ending with zero are supposed to gin up angst, right? For some, this angst may be related to visions of new skin potions, increasingly frequent hair color appointments or bone density tests. For others, it could be more about regret over unmet goals or unchecked bucket list items.  This week I turn 60. But, for some reason, I’m not feeling that angst. Maybe it’s because I’ve never bought into the black balloons and tombstone visuals about birthdays. Also, birthdays have never been a dreaded day for me. I see birthdays as a reason for reflection, a chance to hear from old friends and a day (OK, well, maybe a week this year) to allow myself to do my favorite things. This year, those favorite things may include an early morning birthday workout, my weekly Eggs Up breakfast, a long bike ride or dog walk, happy hour and dinner with friends, a pedi and my birthday evening spent with my Sip N Strum tribe.   But this “zero” birthday did get me to thinking about what dri...

Everything about this Election Day feels different, starting with the fact I didn’t go to my long-time polling place to cast my ballot. I voted last week because I knew several circumstances might keep me from getting to the polls today. I had to be satisfied today with the “I voted” sticker on the back of my phone case left from last week. Although I didn’t actually vote today, Election Day ginned up lots of emotions and good memories in spite of all the raging personal attacks and downright meanness we saw this season. I’m reminded of a different time in my early career years when I had the chance to participate on the front lines of campaigns. While my recollection of the issues from past campaigns may have faded some over the years, the value of the lessons learned and friendships gained from these experiences has only grown. Friendships and relationships forged from campaign work are unique. These are people you see at their best and their worst, at their most confident and most d...

  It's been two years since I brought home a rescue pup from PetsInc (that's us as I was getting ready to leave PetsInc to take her home). Flossie has been a joy every single day. Read her "gotcha" story here.

I love writing about music in my magazine assignments. This one for Columbia Metropolitan Magazine was particularly fun because I got to interview a number of people I have missed seeing perform over the last six months. Bluegrass lovers - you may recognize some of these names! Read it here.    

My latest piece in Columbia Metropolitan Magazine focuses on the state's growing hemp industry and how the resulting CBD products are being safely produced.   Read it here.

The work of journalists has always intrigued me. I went to college thinking I’d be one. Even after I decided to get my degree in PR, my senior project focused on journalistic ethics and the first amendment. Working with words and telling stories as a career had been on my radar since grade school. A series of Facebook posts over the weekend showing the final press run at The State paper’s printing operation got me to thinking about my early interest in local news and local stories. As a fourth grade Girl Scout, I was mesmerized by a tour of The State/Record’s printing operation. In sixth grade, I “published” a neighborhood magazine in the summer. I still have stacks of notebooks from middle school where I chronicled vacations, crushes, classes and thoughts about life. As a ninth grader, I had a class assignment to interview someone in the career field I thought I’d like to pursue after college. There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to interview a newspaper reporter. A frien...

Last July, I read Jennifer Berry Hawes' book, "Grace Will Lead Us Home ," about the Emanuel Church shootings. It shifted how I think about our state's history and race relations. The review I wrote last July feels even more relevant today than it did then. Here's a link to read the review. Over the past week, I read the book for the third time. This time with the overlay of our world's racial strife. Wow. If you don't have time to read the book, link to SC Public Radio's podcast, the SC Lede , to listen to an interview with the author. It's the next best thing.