I’m getting to that age when I find myself scanning obituaries and realizing that the list of people I know is longer than those I don’t. But, as it turns out, the obituary column isn’t the only place I become keenly aware of the absence of familiar faces. My regular visits to the military grocery store—the commissary—seem to bring people’s absence into sharper focus. I’ve been shopping at the Annapolis Navy Commissary for over 60 years.…
3 CommentsTag: conversation
Do you know the concept of “six degrees of separation“? This idea posits that any two people on Earth are six or fewer acquaintance links apart. I imagine that this assumes that our linkage is with the living but I wonder what would be our linkage if we could consider as well the departed? Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with the Institute for Cultural Communicators student interns who have been serving with us…
1 CommentWhat does it mean to become a cultural communicator?? My husband and I recently returned from a 25th anniversary trip to New York City. Everywhere we walked we heard an amazing variety of foreign languages. In every location we saw an incredible range of people. We were surrounded on all sides by diversity that was mind boggling. What made the trip most enjoyable was not the sights although they were spectacular but the people we…
Leave a CommentRecently I finished reading Crucial Conversations . The book is subtitled Tools for talking when stakes are high. One of the best takeaways for me from this book was this idea. “When it is safe, you can say anything.” Open and honest communication takes trust and a great measure of value and respect for the other person. Learning to be aware of how people are responding to your communication is a key way to know if you…
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