Joy Phenix's Blog

“At singing time, she said I sang too loud.  At counting time, she said I left out sixteen. Who needs sixteen?  I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.”  – Alexander      (as told to author Judith Viorst) Some days you wake up and everything seems [...]

“The impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.” – Annie Dillard For nine months, roughly corresponding to the school year, I mentor a group a women who [...]

In my office building is a woman who is about my age and is the consummate fashion plate. She’s always sporting the best shoes (a Tory Burch wedge with peep toes is my current favorite), a hip bag, and perfectly tasteful jewelry.  She has an air of self assurance that I appreciate and a fashion [...]

“It isn’t that they can’t see the solution.  It is that they can’t see the problem.”  — G.K. Chesterton My seven-year-old has a epic set of cowlicks on top of his head.  He wakes up most mornings with a “bed head” that’s awesomely photo worthy. Taming his mane takes a good bit of water and [...]

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”   – Maya Angelou A few weeks ago some former colleagues came over for dinner and s’mores, and we spent a great night catching up on what felt like a far [...]

When I think about people who worry A LOT, one friend of mine (let’s call him “Sam”) comes immediately to mind.  He worries about anything and everything. You know the type.  If there’s anything one can imagine going wrong, Sam has thought about it and built a contingency plan for it.  He is the target [...]

I recently had lunch with a former colleague who is getting beat up at work. Through a series of twists and turns, she has ended up reporting to someone who fits the “Micro-manager” definition to a tee.  You know those types of people, right?  Perhaps they pride themselves on their perfectionism or on making OTHERS [...]

A couple of years ago Andrew Young, the famed Civil Rights leader and former Mayor of Atlanta, spoke at my husband’s staff meeting.  I wasn’t there, but heard about Mr. Young’s talk from several people who were in attendance.  Everyone was greatly impressed by his humility, approachability, and, most of all, his wisdom.  One story [...]

What do you think of when you watch this 50 second video? (Warning: If you have a specific affection for tiny, cartoon cowboys, this might be difficult for you to watch). ready steady bang – 30 ways from Ed Barrett on Vimeo. I don’t often dig violent videos killing some of the Wild West’s greatest [...]

No matter how much you love your work, there’s usually something that makes walking into a new week feel burdensome.  The disappointment in Monday can be triggered by having an enjoyable weekend end, the dreaded start of another week with a bummer job, or even the dread of the commute.  Yes, Monday blues are cliché, [...]