Blog – Tuesdays with Mary

Tuesday, September 24, 2024 I’ve been thinking about the pantsuit, and how once again I feel compelled to defend it. Why does this symbol of power, sophistication and seriousness even need defending? I’ll confess, I truly don’t understand why the workhorse uniform of choice for the professional female continually falls into and back out of favor. Nonetheless, pantsuits are mocked mercilessly every couple of decades for being out of touch, too masculine, too cartoonish. Generations keep trying to write the pantsuit’s obituary, only to find there is no other compilation of clothing that can quite take its place. I’m glad [...]

Tuesday, September 17, 2024 I’ve been thinking about houses vs. homes and our unique role in the process of alchemy that morphs a basic financial decision to invest in real estate, into the foundational place where many of our most cherished memories are made and revisited for a lifetime.  It’s a stressful yet enchanting process buyers go through, and we’re often the first people to help a house transform into a home in the minds and hearts of the buyers we serve. Do you watch the house-buying shows?  I’ve never been bitten by that particular bug, but plenty of people [...]

Tuesday, September 10, 2024 I’ve been thinking about managing versus leading and how the two are often confused.  It’s likely you’ve had a great leader who is below average as a manager.  It’s more common to experience working under someone who is a detailed manager, but who has less strength in the realm of leadership.  If you’re trying to build up your strengths in either area, it can be good to know how to spot the difference. Simon Sinek is an author and public speaker who offers some great information that can help.  He says processes can be successfully managed, [...]

Tuesday, September 3, 2024 I’ve been thinking about onerous Terms and Conditions again; the good news is it seems we might be approaching an opportunity to regain sanity where these things are concerned.  The icky news, did you see the latest from Disney and Disney+?  If you’ve ever wondered what you’re accepting when you click through and accept, this set of alleged facts will really catch your attention. The non-Disney characters in this story are Jeffrey Piccolo and his wife Kanokporn Tangsuan.  Tangsuan, who had severe food allergies, and her husband visited the Disney World resort in Florida in late [...]

Tuesday, August 27, 2024 I’ve been thinking about the long awaited and very welcome words said Friday by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell: “The time has come…” for the group to begin reducing interest rates, as early as next month.  For those of you who have been hanging on, getting by and hoping for relief for the past two and a half years, it appears your patience will soon be rewarded. Let’s look at what we know and how you can prepare. “The direction of travel is clear, and the timing and pace of rate cuts will depend on incoming [...]

Tuesday, August 20, 2024 I’ve been thinking about the real estate market in the Midwest. Did you see the latest Realtor.com report of where the hot markets are currently? It looked at market demand and market pace in 300 communities and found that five of the top 10 hottest markets are in the Midwest. In matters of affordability and quality of life, it’s hard to beat the Midwest. Five years ago, I moved from the bustling and ever-growing Dallas metro area to a lovely small community in the upper Midwest. We’re a tourist destination, with only 3,500 permanent residents. Yet [...]

Tuesday, August 13, 2024 I’ve been thinking about the new trend in adventure travel, or what we used to call staying in a hotel. Not that long ago, in the before times, it was usually a straightforward proposition and experience. Different classes of hotels, and sometimes individual properties themselves, would have their set of services and amenities that could almost always be safely relied upon . It seems COVID changed all that; I hope not forever. Travel during the pandemic, whether necessary for work or chosen voluntarily for personal trips, was understandably a roll of the dice. Most hotels located [...]

Tuesday, August 6, 2024 I’ve been thinking about your secret code or phrase for security purposes.  If you haven’t yet established one with key people in your life (both personal and professional) please do. The deepfakes are running rampant.  It seems no one is exempt, whether you’re somebody’s beloved Grammy or an executive at Ferrari.  Did you see the latest? An executive at Ferrari was contacted via WhatsApp by someone pretending to be the company’s CEO asking, “Hey, did you hear about the big acquisition we’re planning?  I could need your help.”  The conversation continued back and forth for a [...]

Tuesday, July 30, 2024 I’ve been thinking about our collective, strange, seemingly ever-present and unusual mixture of ennui and agitation about the state of things now and where they are headed.  Bestselling books have been written about the cause of this, and I don’t disagree with many of their conclusions about technology, disconnectedness, and institutional disappointments.  But what is the nature of our own individual sense of discomfort, and what can we do about it? “If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace [...]

Tuesday, July 16, 2024 I’ve been thinking about the famous phrase One Country, One Destiny. When your heart wants to harden and close, I hope you will sweat, strain and toil to keep it open. When despair tries to dominate your thoughts, I pray you can aggressively seek out and find a hope that nourishes. If you’ve lost touch with a friend or loved one because your politics seemed unnavigable together, I hope you might reach out and remind each other that love is vast and wonderous and far more important than even the staunchest of differing opinions. Our neighbors [...]