The first snow...

Maybe its not exactly the first flurry of the season (we had those before Thanksgiving but they never hit the ground), but the snow outside my window right now is beautiful. If you know coastal Maryland, you know we don't tend to get much significant snow accumulation. It often melts as soon as it hits the ground.

The snow outside my window is settling on the decks and lawns of my community to blanket us in white. That's what makes this morning's snow so fantastic. I doubt it will last until tomorrow, but I can enjoy it for now.

Leadership....

Since my early years, I had always considered myself a leader. I was groomed to be a leader. I took every opportunity offered me to be a leader. I have trained new leaders. But it wasn't until the past several years that I think I really understood what it meant to be a leader and the characteristics that you had to hone in order to be a successful leader.

Yes, there are good leaders and bad leaders. I think I've mostly been the former, but I'm sure there are times I've fallen well short of being the kind of individual that other people want to follow.

Yesterday at the annual Junior League of Annapolis holiday luncheon we had the pleasure of hearing from Angie Morgan on leadership. Angie Morgan was a Marine captain and is a best-selling author of a book called Leading from the Front. Angie asked us to identify who inspired us and what kinds of characteristics leaders possess.

For me, the inspiring leaders are people like Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, Jane Goodall. People with conviction, courage, and the ability to make themselves heard.

But they are also my grandfather, Mr. Brockett (yes, those from Garrettsville all had Mr. Brockett at one time or another) and Dr. Cooper (tossing one out there for the Otterbein alumni in the room). These people may not be internationally known but they provided guidance, inspiration, stability, compassion,and a moral compass. It is these folks that have had a lasting impact on who I am today and who I hope to be in the future. As I lead others, these are the people that I hope would be proud of how I approach difficult situations.

Economics in Africa...

Poverty in Africa has been on the rise since the late 1980s as the newly independent countries, left with little capacity to manage the day to day operations of a nation, began to fail. I would say none more so than Zimbabwe.

Since early this summer I have been on Zimbabwe inflation watch. I am regularly astonished at the devastation that poor government policies have wrought on majority of the population. We just think the economy in the US is leaving the average American behind. In Zimbabwe, even after a currency adjustment earlier this year, the US dollar is worth 1.1 million Zimbabwean dollars. Can you even imagine that? And to make matters worse, the basic staple of survival - a bag of cornmeal - just went up to 19.2 million Zimbabwean dollars. That is getting out of reach for even some of the more reasonably stable families.

Let's get even more out of control with the numbers here for a second. If six zeroes seemed a major hurdle you obviously haven't heard about the inflation rate. The official inflation rate in Zimbabwe is 231 million percent annually. However, independent analysts estimate it to actually be around 1 quadrillion percent annually and the CATO Institute assesses the inflation rate to be 89.7 sextillion percent annually (that's 20 zeroes).

Let's top off the economic woes with a cholera outbreak that has killed 100 people in the past two days alone, an HIV prevelance rate of almost 25%, and more than 5 million people (almost half the population) face starvation. My heart goes out to those innocent souls caught in the massively corrupt web and poor management of the arrogant Mugabe.

We in the United States live a rather privileged existence in comparison to most Africans.

The careers of military spouses...

That's right, my husband is a Marine. So that makes me a military spouse...but not quite.

I think that there is a general perception of a military spouse in America today that sends us back to World War I days. It is true, the average military spouse is still a "wife" rather than a "husband," but today's military spouses are anything but the homemakers of yore.

Yes there are still many military spouses that choose the life of the stay at home mom running the Key Volunteer Network (or family readiness group if you happen to be in the Army), but the ranks of military spouses in the professional world is substantial and growing every day. According to a 2004 RAND study, today's military spouses are on average more educated than their civilian counterparts. I like to think I fit into this category.

But having a career while being a military spouse is not without its challenges. Let's just take my case for instance. I am not a lawyer, nor am I a nurse/doctor, or even a computer scientist. No, I am a policy analyst...defense and foreign policy at that. What that means is there are very few jobs available to me in the vicinity of your average Marine Corps base. Therefore, in order for us to be a happily employed, dual-career family, I live near Washington, DC and my husband lives...well...wherever the Marine Corps tells him to.

My chosen situation is not unusual and one that the military may soon have to face as they address family satisfaction as a factor in reenlistments.

Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not complaining. I actually love this life! But I do know that more and more military spouses are frustrated by the lack of meaningful employment opportunities near many military bases.

Interesting Life...

Some say I have an interesting life...see interesting things...have interesting experiences. I hope so, but you be the judge of that.