Although some of you snippeteers are very habitual, others of you are willy-nilly. Some of you are spontaneous ... some planners. Some of you are over-thinkers ... some of you "just do it" swiftly.

Some of you have been in the same job with the same company in the same building for decades. And some of you change careers every 27 days or rewrite your story every few years.

Neither of these opposites is labeled "good or bad" ... "right or wrong." They are simply your wiring, your preferences, your characteristics.

I've been a communications and promotions professional as editor, writer, author, and event planner, for a very looooong time - since my first corporate position in 1983 as a Communications Officer at Maryland National Bank in Employee Communications Department. I wrote newsletters, edited the company newspaper, planned employee trips,

and designed promotional flyers ... the same

work I do today ... and still love it.

Most of my days I spend on a laptop in my quiet office at home, designing event artwork and writing promotional material, parish bulletins, Little Italy's monthly newsletter, and SNIPPETS. In other words, I must THINK a lot. Be creative a bunch. Stare at the computer screen too much. And sit on my haunches for way too long. (Lupini hates waiting for me - under my desk.)

So when I thought to find myself a part-time job this past winter in Florida, I wanted to do something entirely different and mindless in the tourism industry, interacting with people. I landed a whopping $12 per hour position (that's minimum wage in case you don't know - lol) at the Holiday Inn Harborside gift shop / arcade / mini putt in Indian Rocks Beach. It was quite fun interacting with people from around the world and handing out arcade prizes to little kiddies. It was not about earning money, it was about the difference in the work. Doing something totally different, to me, was refreshing.

One day I was preparing price tags for a bazillion T-shirts (punching those long plastic thingies onto clothing tags with that 'gun' thingy). I thought how free, easy and mindless the work was - no pressure, no thinking, just feeling relaxed and happy as I punched away.

I didn't have to think about that gift shop job when I left. It did not keep me up at night. There were no problems to solve. Merely ring up purchases, mini-putt, and arcade tokens on the cash register, hand out colored golf balls and clubs to kids and parents, and give away free lollipops if the kids got a hole-in-one. It was fun! I worked for three months then returned to Maryland. Next winter in Florida, I'll probably do something else.

Snippeteers, it is absolutely okay to switch it up. We are allowed to climb off our gerbil wheel, step off our usual paths - even for a few months, or a day, or this year. Even if we are habitual. Even if we are over-thinkers and planners.

Do something different - it may surprise you just how refreshing it feels.



"I love Father Hank’s email to you. I’ve never heard it said that way - permissive will - but it is so true. I will keep that in mind as I process new grief. I always enjoy your SNIPPETS."

~ Betty in Maryland

"So true. I know so many that did something unique or different a week or so before they passed. Did they know? Always wondered that."

~ Cindy M in Maryland

"Loved this one."

~ Janice in Maryland

"We don’t get to choose our beginnings, and in the United States, unless you live in a state where assisted suicide ('death with dignity') is legal, we typically don’t get to choose our endings. So yes, it seems right that what matters most is, as you suggest - the story."

~ Deb in Florida

"Another beautifully expressed message about heartaches and losses in life. Our journeys are not always easy and we encounter many different types of challenges that test our fortitude and faith. But that faith and our attitude in responding to those challenges provide us rich - and at times, difficult - learnings. As well as ultimate growth and a deepening of our understanding of ourselves, those around us, and how we can prepare for our own end, and the adventure that lies ahead after we leave this earth."

~ Sandy in Maryland

"Another beautiful SNIPPETS! 'Happy endings' is an oxymoron in a way, because when things are happy, we don’t want them to end. Yes, we all write our own stories, but perhaps some of us are not good writers. It took me a while to figure out What’s it all about, Alfie, but the older I get, the more I understand its meaning. It is an old movie and song, about not understanding what life is all about. But then we mere mortals don’t truly understand it and never will. At least some of us like Ronnie enjoy it while we can."

~ Phyllis in Maryland 

"I am so in awe at how beautifully you are able to put into words the feelings we all share but are unable to express so well! We all have lost so much but God has blessed us with so many gifts … that is what I always say to myself. Some gifts are only temporary but gifts nonetheless. Keep up the great work … so inspiring! You have a real talent!"

~ Cookie in Maryland

"Another reminder that life is short ... be nice and be happy!"

~ jeanie in massachusetts

"I really felt your message today. As you said, grief upon grief. I embrace your message from Father Hank, it is so compelling. Thank you for writing this beautiful message."

~ Amy in Maryland