Reflections

The three sections on this page link to reflections on my 2009 goal statement, thoughts on my future as learner, and a synthesis essay.

Beyond the Empty Nest

A Goal Statement Reflection

You’ve heard it before – I was in a rut, I needed something else to do, it was time to advance my career, etc. But there I was, three years ago, in a crossroads in my career and family life. Economic conditions caused the closure of the children’s agency that I was working for; my consulting work was dwindling as budgets dried up; and I was about to become an empty nester as my youngest was ready to graduate from high school and my oldest graduate from college. One thought was to retire early; another, more powerful, was that my career wasn’t finished yet. Read more...

Learning While Leading

Thoughts on my Future as Learner

As computer technology started taking roots in the 1980s, I became intrigued with word processing, spreadsheet and database programs (WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3, and the PFS suite of software). Oh, the ‘places’ they took me, helping me organize my plans, ideas, and data in an organized way, and offered the convenience of future retrieval and editing. Much of my knowledge was self-taught, using trial and error and experimentation with the buttons, screen prompts, and key combinations of the time.

As software and hardware advanced, the Internet blossomed, and Microsoft worked to claim dominance in the computer industry, so too did I try to follow and learn the latest and the greatest. This was a great benefit to me in my personal life and in my career. Read more...

London Calling!
A Synthesis Essay on Some of My New Realities

For a change of scenery and a cup of my favorite coffee, I often head to the local internet café to work online. As I headed into one last week, the phone rang – it was my son Mike, who is in London for a MSU study abroad program this summer. London calling! I quickly told him to hang up and I would ‘Skype' him. I was in his world for about 10 minutes, hearing and listening to his experiences in London, living vicariously through this wonderful educational opportunity abroad. When the call ended and I returned to my surroundings, I noticed another woman who was also on Skype. She wasn’t speaking out loud... Read more...