Happy ‘Taughts’ for New Beginnings
Excerpt from Rhinestones on My Flip-Flops My daughter, Caroline, loved watching Peter Pan when she was a little girl. She was glued to the television and loved every minute of the animated movie. After watching the movie, she pretended to fly around the house just like Peter Pan. On one occasion, I was upset over something, and my sweet Caroline, always a tender child, was very sensitive to my feelings. Her sweet face turned toward mine and her big brown eyes looked at me. She said, “Momma, tink happy taughts. Momma! Tink happy taughts!” she repeated. Then she said something I will never forget: “Momma if you tink happy taughts, […]
All The Little Foxes
It made me think of the wasted opportunities that are lost to little foxes of “doubt” — about stories never written, journeys never taken, loves never known, truths never told — because of the little foxes of doubt nibbling at the edges of our confidence and courage. “Little foxes,” she said. My friend and I were walking with dogs. It was early morning, late autumn. We were discussing everything and nothing. And we were not walking too near to each other, which somehow prohibits the natural sharing of confidences. But we had been talking about something — I can’t remember exactly what — that concerned small worries, the kind that […]
Thank you, 2020
OK, OK — I know what the title looks like, but hear me out. Trust me — I was cursing 2020 just as much as the next person a couple months ago, but not anymore. If anything, 2020 has taught me that life is going to take you where you are supposed to go, one way or another. It took me some time, but now I am able to look back on 2020, and I am so grateful for the year. I had a tough first semester of college. Let’s be honest — I had a tough 2020 like everyone else — but it took my first semester of college […]
New Year, New Me
You are not doing this for anyone else — you are doing it for yourself. New year, new me. That’s what we all say, right? Well, this year, instead of thinking we are just going to achieve our goals miraculously, why not make this year a little different and make plans for how we will reach our goals. I’m all for shooting high with our goals for 2021 and making it the best year ever. But the only way we can get there is through planning and the motivation and willpower to keep moving forward. First you have to decide what the end goal is. And you have to have […]
Thank God for Horses, Friends, and a Full Moon
It was July 1995. I was 31 years old and single. Had a horse, a truck, a trailer, and a rope. I was boarding at a family-owned ten stall barn in New Hampshire that had the best boarders, who actually all got along perfectly. There was an even split of English and Western disciplines. We had dinners together, enjoyed long trail rides together, swam our horses together, and spent many holidays together. Everybody was married but me, and none of the horse owners’ spouses had any interest in horses. Sound familiar? My friend Deb, who owned this beautiful Dutch Warmblood named Dab Hand, was going to move him to a […]
An Interview with Zach McCabe | January’s Mr. Bella Fella
Zach McCabe moved to Augusta with his wife April a little over five years ago. Before they settled in Augusta, Zach had moved six times in the span of five years. He arrived at each new location with the same random liquor cabinet of assorted bottles that every person in his 20s has. As he was unpacking them during the last move, he realized he was tired of moving the collection and trying to find it a home, so he decide he’d better try to do something with the curiously curated collection or give it up. He had mixed up a few things, here and there, and with this and […]
An Interview with Chris Najmola | From the Kitchen of Fuse Aiken
Chris Najmola, why be a restaurant owner? It’s just been a lifelong love story with food and its ability to bring people together and make them happy. The first time a server came back to the kitchen to tell me how much the guests enjoyed food I had prepared, I knew that this life, as crazy as it is, was the life for me. 20 years later I still get the same satisfaction every time. Being the guy, professionally or otherwise, who cooks the food for a gathering, is just something that I find extremely rewarding. We all have our parts to play in this life, and I guess being […]
Scotch Cocktails | Lux Libations
At least 2020 is behind us. It’s hard to imagine a more absurd year than we just had. Usually around this time I like to sit around and reflect on the happenings of the last 12 months, but let’s not spend too much time thinking about all that nonsense, unless you were really into binge watching Netflix or working from home in your PJs for months on end. Let’s look forward together. The first part of 2021 may still be hard, but at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Rather than getting upset about missing out on big holiday gatherings, Super Bowl parties, and other […]
Let’s Talk: New Beginnings
Life is full of unusual changes and journeys that affect people in different ways. I like to think of life’s voyages as seasons that change with various weather patterns, bringing new beginnings or a brand new start. Just as spring brings new plants, flowers, and beautiful scenery. Then fall brings colorful leaves, bare trees, and a little breeze in the air. Let’s take a closer look at some ways to turn a new leaf. Many people wait until a New Year to make a new beginning or set a new resolution, but new beginnings can start at any time and can be as simple as a new hairstyle or as […]
New Year Superstitions
Do not put out the new calendar before New Year’s Day Open the door at midnight New Year’s Eve so the old year can go out Get rid of any old regrets or revenge or debts Wear something red on New Year’s Day for good luck and happiness Give some of your good clothing to the poor Forgive everyone for everything
