Welcome to PhylPhacts!

Hello All, I love a catchy title! I know you must wonder from time to time if I have lost my mind! (Well, Bob might tell you that would actually be a factual statement!) It is more that sometimes there are things that catch my attention and/or make me think about topics differently. And this week it was the picture of a shopping cart sitting by itself in the parking lot…..…..with this quote “I don’t know one successful person who leaves their cart in the middle of the parking lot.” Has that made you stop and think about how you treat shopping carts? I think I know how I treat them,…

Hello All, Bob and his sisters have been cleaning up his parent’s home – a task filled with memories, tears, laughter and love. He brought home a number of boxes of pictures, picture albums, and slides. So he surprised me last night with this wonderful collection of pictures of us from when we started dating in 1981 through the entire 1980s. Now remember, he is a pharmacist, so, of course, the pictures were in chronological order. OMG! What a blast. Bob had hair. I still had short hair…..big, tall, short hair! (Amazing how you tall you could get short hair!) I must admit, we did spend time trying to figure out which…

Hello All, I knew I wanted to write about leadership this week – but I was trying to figure out where I wanted  to head with that lofty and large endeavor. It was one of those mornings where a cup of hot tea and the Today show were on my agenda – and there it was, the quote that I used as the title of the blog “One cannot lead where they are not going.” I love watching Craig Melvin’s interviews. He has a warm and inviting style, and he loves his home state of South Carolina. Craig was interviewing the leaders of Brookland Baptist Church (his childhood church), Reverend Charles…

Hello All, Wasn’t March supposed to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb? I think someone forgot to remind Mother Nature! This has been a rough weather year, and March certainly lived up to that. I have been sending prayers to all of those impacted by floods, tornadoes, snow and hail. My heart also goes out to all of the people who have been murdered in mass shooting events over the last few weeks, including yesterday. I cannot begin to fathom the depth of the pain of their families, friends and their entire communities. These scars run deep, and will last forever. I promise I won’t go on a…

Hello All, I am so excited – the daffodils have raised their sunny faces all over the place! Which also means my beloved tulips are not far behind! Both of these flowers make me happy (like crocuses do in the Autumn). Spring has definitely sprung! Spring and Autumn are my favorite times of the year – colors in abundance, flowers and plants that I love, the opposing seasons of sandals and sweaters, growth and rest, baseball and football. And you can be outside without roasting or freezing :-)! I love learning something new every day. In this last full week of National Women’s History Month, I read about The Matilda Effect for the…

Hello All, I have to start this week by saying how grateful I am for the former presidents and first ladies coming together to discuss the importance of getting the Covid vaccine! And I am grateful that the vaccines are becoming more plentiful. What a tremendous effort this has been by so many people to develop a vaccine – produce it – get it delivered – and into arms! There are hundreds of thousands of people who have been involved. Many thanks to all of them! I am definitely looking forward to the end of this pandemic! Many of you know the funny stories of my three careers goals when…

Hello All, In honor of this National Women’s History Month, I am going to write each week about women. For my male readers, hang tight – I will write about other topics again in April! Female or male, I hope all of these topics will be of interest to you! I was watching an entertainment show the other week and the wonderful Viola Davis was talking about the incredible Cicely Tyson. Cicely Tyson’s career stretched over seven decades in Hollywood. In 1963, Ms. Tyson became the first African American to star in a television drama when she joined the series East Side/West Side, playing the role of secretary Jane Foster. She…

Hello All, March is here! We have reasons to be optimistic. Another new vaccine has entered the scene – the timeline for vaccines has been moved up – and Spring (thank goodness) is right around the corner! And have you noticed? The flu has been almost non-existent this year. All of the actions that have been put into place to protect us from Covid have helped protect us from the flu! I think I am getting used to wearing masks, and have gathered quite a colorful collection. March is also National Women’s History Month. I typed this in purple because purple is the international color that symbolizes women!   A beautiful color…

Hello All, This past Saturday I had the great pleasure of meeting an incredible group of women for lunch. We were celebrating the upcoming retirement of one of them, who has given over 45 years of service to her organization. First of all – isn’t that awesome! It is rare to see someone who has stayed with an organization for that length of time! And second, as we laughed, joked, celebrated life, and shared stories (both personal and professional – some good, some bad, some just down right funny), I marveled at what an incredible group of friends I have! These women remind me of what Marlene Dietrich said “It’s the…

Hello All, The times continue to be interesting. Between the pandemic, the vaccine (which I truly believe is going to ultimately get us out of this excitement) and politics, I believe the Facebook post I saw recently that indicated that 2020 went home, put a wig on, changed her lipstick color and came back as 2021! I think I have told you before that Bob and I are sort of political wonks. so the last four weeks or so have provided us an opportunity for some great discussions. Interestingly, the discussions have not been about impeachment! We have actually talked about the Constitution of the United States and the incredible foresight of…