Who I Met Today

Everyone has a story – Collecting & sharing interesting info, life lessons, & fun things to see & do from the wonderful people in our world
a new york city doorman

Gabriel Guzman – New York City Doorman

Over four decades ago, a retiring NYC doorman gave young Gabe Guzman some friendly advice.  “He shared a secret with me,” smiles Gabe.  “He told me if I could find work in a hospital or a job as a doorman, I’d have one of the best jobs in the city,” he recalls. Greeting me with his huge grin and friendly wave, Gabe opens the door and welcomes me into his

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Alexandra Kaspin – Travel Nurse

I’ve noticed today’s young couples don’t seem focused on accumulating stuff.  Rather than decorating the perfect home, they tend to seize their moments and their days and jump into experiences.  Deciding it was the ideal time in their lives to travel and explore, Alex Kaspin and her husband eagerly declared, “Let’s do this!” Shortly after their marriage, the newlyweds cleared out their Philadelphia apartment, stashed wedding gifts in storage, and

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Ryan Black Nashville Tai Chi and Wellness

Ryan Black – Tai Chi

A hard-nosed, young Navy diver, Ryan Black was assigned to deep sea salvage and rescue missions in southern Japan.  While stationed in the country, he set his sights on learning kendo, the sword fighting martial art.  However, when he went calling at the kendo temple, he was informed –  and not at all politely – the group did not care to have an outsider in their midst. Not one to

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Lindsay Mican Morgan Art Institute of Chicago Thorne Rooms

Lindsay Mican Morgan – Chicago’s Thorne Miniature Rooms

On my first visit, I almost missed them.  Tucked downstairs, beneath the main staircase, out of the way of the crowds, I stumbled upon an assortment of tiny creations.  Playful, charming, interesting, evocative, fun, and, some even say, “cute.”  “They are the most powerful form of educational cuteness there is,” their caretaker laughs. In the 1930’s, Chicago artist Mrs. James Ward Thorne, and her team of exacting artisans, constructed tiny,

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salmon fishing in bristol bay alaska

Thomas Persinger – Salmon Fisherman

Thomas Persinger’s love affair with Alaska – its glaciers, volcanoes, captivating wildlife – began a dozen years ago.  Celebrating his dad’s 50th birthday, the family travelled to Anchorage and Seward and Port Alsworth, a tiny fishing village in the Alaskan bush. What was not to love? “We ate breakfast, hopped in a float plane, and caught fish all day,” Thomas remembers. And he was determined to return.  Studying at Auburn

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Dr. Bill Bellet and His Keys to a Happy Self

Dr. Bill Bellet – Happy Self and Relationships

Personal happiness is a hot topic these days.  We can find loads of books and podcasts on the subject. Checklists abound for what we need to do to be happy – count our blessings, get plenty of sleep, meditate, go to church, keep our homes organized.  According to Dr. Bill Bellet, many of us work WAY too hard at seeking happiness.  Chatting in his Nashville office, I get the slightly

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Positive Perspective Challenge

Dr. Bill Bellet – A Positive Perspective Exercise

The 21-day project, outlined by Dr. Bill Bellet, seems simple enough.  Perform four, relatively easy, tasks each day.  If you skip one of the assignments for the day, you must start over with the entire three-week cycle. Helpful to clients in Dr. Bellet’s Nashville clinical and organizational psychology practice, this “challenge” is composed of four daily components.   Every day, for three weeks, you: Write down three things you are

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Porter Road Butcher cheesemonger Mark Bilbrey

Mark Bilbrey – Cheesemonger

Feeling like old friends, Mark Bilbrey greeted me with a big smile, a warm hug, and invited me behind the cheese case at Porter Road Butcher in East Nashville.  We spent the next two hours laughing and talking and comparing varieties of cheddars and goudas.  Tragically, 3 months later, on November 6, 2018, Mark lost his life in a one-vehicle auto accident on rain-soaked streets.  For his family, friends, colleagues,

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Sherry Hall Founder of Grace Rides

Sherry Hall – Therapeutic Riding

Sherry Hall marvels at how God took the assorted pieces in her life, arranged them for her, and showed her what to do. “It was hard and scary, and I didn’t think I was capable of making it happen,” she reflects.  Proudly guiding me through the new and improved, brand new barn in Defuniak Springs, Florida, Sherry points to a wooden sign hanging in the office – We are seldom

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Mo Houston along the Camino de Santiago

Mo Houston – Walking The Camino De Santiago

Boarding a flight to Madrid, Mo Houston shoved her only piece of luggage, a backpack weighing less than 18 pounds, in the overhead bin. Carefully packed and meticulously arranged, it contained 2 changes of clothes, a pair of shoes, flip flops, a rain suit, a head lamp, bandana, and not much else.  These were her supplies for the next month. For hundreds of years, people have journeyed to the Apostle

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