Blog – Tuesdays with Mary

Tuesday, December 31, 2024 I’ve been thinking that there’s something magical about stumbling across an old home video, isn’t there? The grainy footage, the muted colors, and the shaky, unscripted moments can instantly shuttle you back to a different time, a different version of the world. It seems I’m not the only one who feels this way; I read recently that Gen Z has recently embraced a fascinating trend of watching hours of camcorder footage from the 1980s and 1990s. What’s striking about this phenomenon is that it’s not rooted in personal memory; these viewers weren’t alive during the eras [...]

Tuesday, December 24, 2024 As we close another year and the magic of holiday lights fills the air simultaneously with serenity and possibility, I want to pause and share my heartfelt gratitude with you. The work you do matters. It’s not just about transactions or numbers on a ledger, it’s about building something lasting. Something sustainable.  Your dedication helps families create places to call home, shapes the legacies passed down through generations, and strengthens the foundation of our shared economy. It’s vital work, and it’s a privilege to be connected with so many who do it so well. Here at [...]

Tuesday, December 17, 2024 I’ve been thinking about this term since I first heard it used in a new context last week.  Technology providers have long employed euphemisms to describe the reduction in workforce that many software products enable.  Downsizing, restructuring, recalibrating, right-sizing…these terms have all been used in the past to delicately point out (while not speaking directly of) the cost savings a business could realize by automating its workflow.  Now, with AI, the promise is – rebalancing. Granted, this is still a way off in the future; despite many AI companies selling the vision already today.  I was [...]

Tuesday, December 10, 2024 I’ve been thinking about how hard it can be lately to have a good conversation.  Whether trying to discuss culture, news and events of the day or even the weather, it’s getting harder and harder to share common experiences, references, and viewpoints. Our silos are becoming taller and farther apart.  While it’s easier than ever to find a group who shares your deeply held political convictions or are just as wildly passionate for your rare hobby…our holing up (even if only virtually) more and more often with like-minded souls is causing other relationships to wither.  We’re [...]

Tuesday, December 3, 2024 I’ve been thinking about living with flourish.  Hopefully, you had a terrific long weekend filled with great food, hearty laughs with close family (or the wonderful friends who have chosen you as family) and plenty of high spirits.  As the holiday express train barrels toward the end of the year, as you balance and ration your energy between the things you want to do and the things you must do… keep the life of Sarah Joyce Snider in mind. Sarah and I never met, but after reading her obituary I certainly wish we had.  If you [...]

Tuesday, November 26, 2024 This Thanksgiving week I’ve been thinking about going home.  No matter what going home means to you, there is someplace that feels in your heart, like home.  Maybe you will travel there this week, and will slip into the comfortable, well-worn and sometimes slightly itchy roles established years ago.  Perhaps your house is the home that others make an effort to come to, and you’ll experience the joy of hosting. Last night I sat in the airport and watched many joy-filled homecomings.  As the digital advertising sign above the baggage carousel displayed houses in the area [...]

Tuesday, November 19, 2024 I’ve been thinking about your DNA again - and mine too. You may recall news this past spring about a significant data breach at 23andMe, the genetic testing company known for connecting users with their ancestry and health insights. That breach, affecting over seven million individuals, raised significant questions about how such deeply personal data is stored and protected. Now, the company’s struggles, and by extension the next set of concerns for their customers, have taken another sharp turn. This week, 23andMe announced a major shift in strategy. Facing financial headwinds, they are laying off 40% [...]

Tuesday, November 12, 2024 I’ve been thinking about the fact that Mondays seem harder than they used to.  If you think so too, you’re not crazy; many Mondays are in fact harder to navigate than they used to be.  Because odds are an automatic update was applied over the weekend to at least one app that is critical to your job or personal life.  You’re rarely certain of which critical app it will be and waiting to discover the changes as you go through the day, can feel like a game of Monday Roulette. For years I traveled for work [...]

Tuesday, November 5, 2024 I’ve been thinking about the miracle that is self-governance; and how today we refresh and renew our commitment by doing the seemingly crazy and nearly impossible task of electing our representatives and then asking them to form a government in our name.  Each election day, we continue forward on our journey of an entirely revolutionary concept – one that allows citizens to actively shape their societies rather than being merely passive subjects to authority. Do you remember the famous phrase of Benjamin Franklin’s when he was asked what type of government had been formed, he replied  [...]

Tuesday, October 29, 2024 I’ve been thinking about community, and ties that bind.  During times when life is rolling along relatively smoothly, we tend to think about community less often.  While we play a role in each of our communities, we often we move through them mostly by rote.  Yet when an extra dose of life’s turbulence hits us, and we need to lean into the support of our communities, the true value of our connectedness becomes apparent.  In times like those, when our footsteps grow uncertain, we are held up and carried along by our strong and supportive communities. [...]