Hi Reader... Yesterday, I was on the phone with a close friend. She was telling me about her daughter…who's in her 20s and having a really hard time making new friends. My friend asked me… "How do you do it? You make new friends everywhere you go." And honestly…I had to stop and think about it for a second. Because it's not something I plan. But here's what I told her… I talk to everyone and anyone. Wherever I am. Whether it’s at the grocery store. Waiting to board a plane. Standing in line...
10 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader... A couple of weeks ago, I was wrapping up a fun summer vacation in NY. A girls' beach trip out to Montauk...then a few days in New York City. I was really looking forward to the last few days of the trip...catching up with girlfriends, good food and great conversations. At least…that was my plan. But the next morning...I woke up sicker than sick. Coughing. Chills. A fever. Normally I'd just shrug it off as the flu. But not this time. There was a legionnaire's outbreak spreading...
19 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader... I had just landed in NYC…super excited and ready for a fun vacation. After I got settled into my hotel...I was starving. I looked in the mirror. Disheveled hair. Yoga pants. Flip flops. I thought about just ordering take-out… But changed my mind, because I wanted good Italian food. Besides I thought…who’s going to see me? When I got to the restaurant it was packed. There was one empty seat at the bar, right between a man and a woman. The man was there with a friend. The woman was...
27 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader... My old college roommate and I get together every so often. Just to catch up. Lunch. Dinner. There's just one little problem. She always brings her husband. Now don't get me wrong...I like her husband. But when he comes, the dynamic changes. We can't really have girl talk. You know what I mean. No deep catching up. No sharing secrets. And I always end up wishing we had some one-on-one time. Here's the thing... I never knew how to ask for it to be...just the two of us. Because how...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader... Last Friday, I flew up to San Francisco for the day. I went up for a celebration of life...for my childhood friend, Arnie's mom. I've known him since I was 7 years old...over 54 years, crazy, right?! Our parents were good friends and we grew up together. We were buddies all through middle school, high school...and into our 20s. Then we grew up and grew apart. We moved to different cities. We lived in different states. We still followed each other on social media...but we rarely...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader... I was on a live webinar the other day. Someone I used to know was on it too. We'd met through an online networking group...back when I was a matchmaker (if you didn't know that...that's a story for another time. lol!). But here's the thing...we'd never actually met in person. We talked on the phone once. Over 15 years ago. She didn't know I was on the webinar...until she spotted my name in the comments. So she reached out to me on Facebook. "Are you on this webinar?!" Turns out...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader... Last night I was watching the NBA Finals. If you missed it...the Knicks were getting crushed by the Spurs. Down by almost 30 points at halftime. Yep, 30! If you know anything about basketball...that's the kind of hole most teams can’t climb out of. They could have easily packed it in…and told themselves, we'll get them in the game 5. But they didn't. The team reset their mindset during halftime… And together they slowly started chipping away…one basket at a time. And in the final...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader... I've lived in my condo complex for over two years. In all that time, I'd never really met one of my neighbors a couple doors down. We'd see each other here and there…a quick hi in passing. But that was it. The other day, I was taking out the trash. She was just pulling into her spot, getting out of her car. This time...she stopped me and said, “Hi, I wanted to introduce myself, I’m Marty” She told me she'd just come back from rowing in Newport Harbor. And then to my surprise, she...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader... Friday night I was out to dinner. At the table next to me...two women, friends, sitting across from each other. And both of them were on their phones. Scrolling social media. Every so often one of them would look up, say something quick...and then they'd go right back their screens. That was the whole dinner. No real conversation. No leaning in. No "you'll never believe what happened today…” Then they got up and left. Two friends, out together...who barely talked. Here's why I'm...
3 months ago • 1 min read