Archives for March 2013

An Opinion: Valentine’s Day is the opposite of romantic — it’s forced, and lacks spontaneity.  Around here, we ignore it entirely and spring the trappings on any other day of the year.

A Person: Big brown eyes and gorgeous, and yes, I admit that’s what I saw first as I have eyes in my head and blood in my veins.  The second thing I noticed is how she explained to me what a Pediatric Occupational Therapist is in conversational tone and perfect paragraphs.  She is an articulate and engaged professional, continually working on new approaches to meet kids where they are and discovering how they learn best.

As a mom, she is roughly 3,500 chicken nuggets into the adventure.  Let’s be candid.  There’s big magic in the gig but also some drudgery.  I love that she is honest about both while leading our boys up with strength, grace and affection.  She loves being a daughter, sister, and aunt.  A loyal friend, a lover of the beach, a voracious reader if a bit of a narcoleptic one, and an athlete.  She’s got a “let’s get the coffee going and make a list” pragmatic philosophy and she’s willing to follow you on your adventures so long as she can make the 5:30 am Seaside Crossfit class first!  Happy Valentine’s Day, Katherine Schaefer Cooney!  xoxo

213

Connect to Kate Cooney 

3rd Thing Shout-Out:  In February of 2002, a few days before Valentine’s Day, our mutual friend Amy Larkin, set us up and we went out on a double-date with Team Larkin.  I thought it went well enough but I was told later that Amy and I did most of the talking! What can I say except, thank you Amy!

A Quotation:  Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart (unknown).

A Person:  They say that the action slows down for the best race car drivers so that split second decisions flow easily. Our friend Al Hickey has comparable powers in a crisis. I saw him in action as Director of Marine Operations at SEA. As some get spun up in a charged situation, it’s often the calmer and more thoughtful players that are capable of the most deliberate action.

Al is not afraid of the heavy lift as evidenced by his work as a logistics coordinator for Doctors Without Borders in the African bush near South Sudan and in a trauma hospital in violent Port Harcourt, Nigeria. His “day” job is managing operations aboard icebreakers for the US Antarctic Program.  Last year, he was given an award for his role in rescuing injured fishermen from a burning vessel in the Ross Sea. 

When I am faced with a major crisis back home, like the DVR didn’t record a program or the gas pump wouldn’t read my debit card, I think of Al and thank him for the good work he is doing.

213

Connect with Al because he is a Citizen of the World and loves a good lobster roll: hickeyal@yahoo.com

We didn’t send it out by email because it wasn’t strictly a “Two Things” but our remembrance of the great Charlie Leighton is here if you didn’t see it.