Blog

I launched my blog in 2009 when I was wrestling with a midlife crisis. Since then, the digital world has changed so much. I was new to both Facebook and Twitter when I started blogging, and I was still rocking the BlackBerry for email. Instagram hadn’t launched yet. Podcasting and short videos are what the cool kids do these days, blogging is considered old fashioned. But I still find it the best way to share my thoughts and to profile people who inspire me.

I hope you’ll find something here that inspires you, or at least sparks a conversation. Some of my favorite posts are pinned to the top, scroll down a bit more to find the most recent, or check out the categories in the sidebar.


What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

You’ve probably heard that old chestnut “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” I’ve been thinking about that lately, in the context of my 2011 goals. We can aspire to a perfect year free of pain and suffering, but it’s pretty unlikely. And in the long run, that kind of year might not be in our best interest. It’s often…

Need a nudge toward your 2011 goals? How about a contest!

Need a nudge toward your 2011 goals? How about a contest!

Do you need some help working toward your 2011 goals? I think there are two separate challenges to making good New Year’s resolutions: taking the time to set thoughtful, achievable goals that align with what you really want out of life following through to achieve those goals So let’s divide and conquer together. I’ll even offer a prize to help…

My traumatic discovery about Santa

My traumatic discovery about Santa

Spoiler alert: This post discusses the existence of Santa Claus. If you, like me, might find this disturbing, you might want to go watch Rudolph and skip this one. When I was maybe 5 years old, Santa came to my dad’s house. We were sitting around on Christmas Eve when the back door opened and Santa waltzed in carrying a…

Would you be interested in joining a social wine club?

Would you be interested in joining a social wine club?

I would love your input here. Here’s the general premise for an in-home wine club — think book club or scrapbooking club, but instead, getting together to taste and learn about wine: A group of friends organize around an interest in wine They place an order for regularly delivered wine selections at their choice of price points (low, medium, high)…

What brings people to Newvine Growing?

What brings people to Newvine Growing?

Some people arrive here because of links I post on Facebook or Twitter. Others subscribe to e-mail or RSS updates, and some generous readers pass along links to friends who might be interested. Search engines are also responsible for a good chunk of traffic. And while some people arrive after searching for, say, Ben Jaffe, happiest people in the world…

Newvine Growing is all about evolving and growing

Newvine Growing is all about evolving and growing

I launched this blog nearly two years ago as a means of exploring my own mini midlife crisis. I wanted a venue to explore questions like what makes life meaningful, what makes us happy, who should my role models be in living life well. Of course being a data nerd, I’m interested in which of these issues get the most…

Coming attractions on Newvine Growing

Coming attractions on Newvine Growing

After a month of daily gratitude posts, it’s taking me a bit to regain my rhythm of regular content — but I do have some good stuff in the hopper: I sat down with Larry Kirshbaum, formerly CEO of Time-Warner Book Group and now head of LJK Literary, and he shared the unvarnished truth about moving from a corporate gig…

Newvine Growing book club — also on my book shelf

Newvine Growing book club — also on my book shelf

I’ve been traveling a lot lately, and rather than falling into my usual trap of reading fluffy magazines, I’ve used that travel time to dive into some good books. I pounded through Mark Bittman‘s “Food Matters” in just a few days. Much like Michael Pollan‘s books about what’s wrong with American food production, Bittman writes that how we eat is…

Month of Thanksgiving leftovers: thanking Miss Penny

Month of Thanksgiving leftovers: thanking Miss Penny

Margaret Yang recently won one of two Month of Thanksgiving contests here on Newvine Growing by expressing her gratitude for her daughter’s bus driver. Because Margaret won the “Who are you thankful for?” contest, I sent flowers to her house so she could give them to Miss Penny, the bus driver. Margaret sent two follow-up notes on what happened when…

I am thankful for: things that could have been worse

I am thankful for: things that could have been worse

I woke up just in time to hear a doctor telling my parents how I was lucky my nose had shattered because otherwise the bone would have driven up into my brain and killed me. It was hard to feel especially lucky at that moment. I had broadsided another driver who hadn’t looked to see I was approaching doing about…

Why be thankful anyway?

Why be thankful anyway?

Maybe some of you spent a little time going around the table at Thanksgiving dinner sharing something you’re thankful for? While the holiday is mostly about gorging on food and/or spending time with loved ones, there is this sweet notion of a holiday about counting our blessings and giving thanks. I’ve taken that a step further with Month of Thanksgiving,…

I am grateful for: small businesses

I am grateful for: small businesses

  John and I walked home late Thanksgiving night, trying to walk off a few of the thousands of calories we’d ingested with friends, and our path took us past a big shopping center down the street where crowds were lining up for Black Friday sales.   I’ve never felt compelled to get up in the middle of the night…

I am grateful for: good food and plenty of it

I am grateful for: good food and plenty of it

  On Thanksgiving, many of us will spend the day feasting on a ridiculous amount of food, only to lay around later groaning that we’re about to burst.   While we gorge ourselves silly, the AgChat Foundation is urging us to give thanks for that abundance of food — and for the farmers responsible for producing it. They explain: A…