Pretium: Waving

Pretium: Waving

Construction near my office has been ongoing for the past year. I don’t mind, it reminds me of the work I used to do. At first the work took place in an area that allowed me to talk to the workers as I walked to my building. But, as things progressed, I was sad...
Pretium: Surrender

Pretium: Surrender

Located just West of that bend in the Hudson River, beneath those trees, are the remains of Fort Montgomery. On October 6, 1777, 2,100 British soldiers attacked the 700 men who were stationed in Fort Montgomery and Fort Clinton to impede British reinforcements from...
Pretium: Easter

Pretium: Easter

Among the many wonderful people I am privileged to meet, I am perhaps most inspired by the children (and I am always grateful when their parents let me steal them for a moment or two). Their innocence and excitement for the future remind me of all that is good in this...
Pretium: Adversity

Pretium: Adversity

I spent the afternoon strolling through the Adams’ garden in Braintree, MA. I imagined Abigail sitting in her back yard admiring this view as she wrote to her son, John Quincy, who was reluctant to follow his father on yet another civic assignment. “These...
Pretium: Adventure

Pretium: Adventure

Visiting the Mark Twain house today, I was reminded of the times my mother would read to us. Sitting on the floor in the hall, she would read loud enough that all of us could listen from our separate rooms as we fell asleep. Listening to stories of Huck Finn and Tom...
Pretium: Creativity

Pretium: Creativity

My sister and her husband recently wrote a book about the differences between consuming and creating. They demonstrate the need humans have to ‘consume’ (e.g., such as eating, learning, etc.) in order to survive. However, they also highlight the need we...