From the Archives, via May 10, 2013. The story of David and Goliath is one of history’s greatest reruns—played out on repeat in books and boardrooms and battlefields. Big Guy goes after Little Guy. Little Guy finds inner strength. Little Guy taps into inner strength. Little Guy fights Big Guy. Big Guy falters. Little Guy knocks Big Guy’s lights out. The David and Goliath story is the story of the “win.” Think Luke against Darth Vader, Daniel Larusso against the entire Cobra Kai dojo, and pretty much any Disney classic (insert any princess or talking animal against any evil witch…

I spent the last month writing hundreds of thank you notes. My son asked why I didn’t have them printed, since the message is the same in each card. It’s the time and the action and the intention.

From the Archives, via Sept. 23, 2014. Flannery O’Connor hooked my interest through a school-assigned reading of A Good Man is Hard to Find and her personal story kept me reading more. I was certain that a bit of that geranium she wrote about—“with its roots in the air”—was her, a transplant to New York City, from Georgia, where the geraniums weren’t put on apartment windowsills for sun, but thrived just fine on their own at home. While her body was long gone when I arrived on the scene, her stories and articles about her have kept me re-reading her…

From the Archives, via May 24, 2013. Five and a half years later and I’m still struggling with this one. ~Callie Who Owns the Art?

So often I read Steve’s “Writing Wednesdays” posts and think he’s writing about me. Did you read his last article? It’s the one titled “Being Ignored.”

I emailed a company with a question about their product. I didn’t receive a response. I emailed a second time, in case the first email opted for a Sunday stroll instead of delivery. Still no response.

The simple things don’t require connections to people who have already “made it.” Last week I touched on the power of simple hand-written notes. Some of the responses I’ve received have been along the lines of not being able to obtain the contact information of well-known, “made” individuals or not physically being able to do the handwriting.

After Oprah made the decision to interview Steve, we met a few of her team members. There was the TV show, but also the magazine, and the site, and promotions related to all three. I spoke with someone at the magazine and gave her the quote from Steve that I’ve seen shared more than any other: “Put your ass where your heart wants to be.” She declined and said that their audience wouldn’t like the language. Fast forward to the airing of the interview and the clips shared online and guess which quote Oprah discussed. Yep. Ass and all.

I went to an Ozzy Osbourne concert with my son. Zakk Wylde was on stage tapping. I know about tapping because my son plays guitar. He knows about tapping because he loves Led Zeppelin.