Oakland Press columns
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Be kind to your server
“A person who is nice to you but isn’t nice to the waiter is not a nice person.” ~Dave Barry This column was originally published in the June 13 print editions of the Sunday Oakland Press and Macomb Daily. Click here to see it online in the Macomb Daily. Now that we’re vaccinated, my husband and I have started dining out in restaurants again. The change of scenery and the break from my home cooking have done wonders for our mental outlook – and helped us regain a sense of normalcy after a long year of sheltering in place. We also want to support our local economy. At the same time, however,…
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Rebooting our friendships after Covid
“Growing a friendship requires a lot of initiation. Repeatedly. If you want to start a new friendship — or revive an old one — you have to reach out several times.” ~Shasta Nelson Our social lives haven’t been the same since the start of the pandemic. As we regain a sense of normalcy this holiday season, we look forward to spending time with friends and loved ones again. This week, my Sunday feature story discusses how to form new friendships (or rekindle old ones) after periods of absence, isolation, or neglect. It includes relationship advice from national friendship experts, plus updated CDC guidelines on how to gather safely. Read it online here. ~Cindy…
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“Farewell to Summer” in the Oakland Press
“Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.” ~Sam Keen Keeping your cool this week? Before the “dog days” of August melt into September, let’s make time to revive the simple, low-tech pleasures of summer loafing. If you missed my essay in the print edition of the Sunday Oakland Press, you can read it online here.
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The gift of gab: How to improve our conversation skills
“We live in a technological universe in which we are always communicating. And yet we have sacrificed conversation for mere connection.” ~Sherry Turkle Have our listening skills gotten a bit rusty? With the winter holidays fast approaching, it’s the ideal time for a refresher course in two-way conversation skills. Are you exhausted by folks who talk too much about themselves, or won’t let you get a word in edgewise? That’s the topic of this lifestyles feature in the Homefront section of The Sunday Oakland Press and Macomb Daily. (You can read it online here.) ~Cindy La Ferle
