In 2012, I had the opportunity to present a virtual session to the Ukrainian Taxpayers Organization on nonprofit management. While I couldn’t be there in person, I felt a great deal of warmth and appreciation from the hosts and the conference attendees. They sent me this lovely speaker gift, a music box in the shape of an iconic Ukrainian image. Every day I see this in my office and think of how I connected with people far away.

When people insult me (which fortunately isn’t too often) I reply, “I’ve been called worse by better.” While this cheeky comeback might be appropriate for an insult, it’s not the best comeback when someone calls me the wrong name. Sometimes I reply, “Just don’t call me late for dinner . . .” but I still feel as if I’m being “dissed” when I am called the wrong name.

The pandemic lockdown of 2020 provided a pause for most of the world. We had the opportunity to think, contemplate, and practice introspection. It’s amazing how a situation like the lockdown exposes what is actually important and what has no real value.

There’s an old saying (isn’t there one for everything?): “Familiarity breeds contempt.” If you are not familiar (pun intended) with this cliché, it means that the longer you are around someone or something, the higher the odds that you will begin to hate it.

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