Singular Autumn 2026

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Flourishing by Design The Cancer Registry Square Dancing 101 The Joys of Gardening

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From the Publisher W

Jeri Eagan is a retired oil industry executive and former Chief Operating Officer for the Ayn Rand Institute. Her current interests are in editorial design and illustration.

elcome to the autumn season - my favorite time of year. I am delighted to welcome several new excellent writers who describe things they love.

art being created, values being pursued. I hope it will provide inspiration for you and be a source for new values to consider pursuing.

This publication is a lifestyle magazine for Ayn Rand fans and others who are ambitiously pursuing values to achieve a life of rational self-interest.

Please contact me with any comments or suggested articles, or if you would like to be informed about future issues.

jerieagan@me.com

It celebrates lives being lived well, excellent books being written,

OBJECTIVISM

A Philosophy For Living On Earth Follow reason, not whims or faith.

Work hard to achieve a life of purpose & productiveness.

Earn genuine self-esteem.

Pursue your own happiness as your highest moral aim.

Prosper by treating others as individuals, trading value for value.

aynrand.org

Publisher and Design - Jeri Eagan Editor - Brian Phillips

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER STORY

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Flourishing by Design Jeri Eagan

Digital Favorites Jeri Eagan

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FOOD & BEVERAGES

The Cancer Registry - Dr. Kelly Merriman Interviewed by Brian Phillips

An Apple a Day

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ART

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HOBBIES

My Photography Journey...

Ken Bohlman

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BOOKS

The Joys of Gardening Brian Phillips

Seafaring Stories, Patrick O’Brian Deborah Knapp

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FAVORITES

Square Dancing 101 Sandra Schwartz

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Think. Decide. Act. Marnye Langer

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CONTRIBUTORS DEBBIE KNAPP studied

SANDRA SCHWARTZ grew

up in Manhattan, across the street from the American Museum of Natural History. In college, friends introduced her to opera, and it became a lifelong passion, even leading to her teaching classes in opera appreciation at Lyceum International’s summer conferences.

cognitive developmental psychology.

Her research showed that learning language for young children is, like other skills, something that involves mental effort and is subject to automatization. She left her academic career to raise two children, and in the process of doing so founded a school, the Spring School, which is widely respected for its academic rigor.

Besides acting as the school’s director, she teaches both American and World History to middle school students and is in the process of writing a comprehensive series of history books for that age group.

After earning an M.S. in finance, she worked for Chase Manhattan Bank, Joseph E. Seagrams & Sons, and Columbia Pictures.

In the 1990s, Sandra produced Second Renaissance Conferences’ Objectivist summer conferences at several venues around the country.

KEN BOHLMAN graduated from

high school in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin and then spent three years in the Marine Corps and twelve years as a construction laborer before getting married and returning to school.

After earning an Associate’s Degree in business data processing, he had a two-decade career in IT, developing and maintaining business software.

Ten of those years were with F.W. Woolworth, the old five-and-dime store chain, working with their mainframe financial applications as a COBOL programmer/analyst.

His two major hobbies include photography and music. He has strummed a guitar since he was a teenager but has never done a paid “gig.” He has, however, enjoyed performing at various “open mics” as they gave amateurs like him a little chance to shine. He loves both hobbies.

In her spare time, she took up the sport of fencing and competed at the national level. In retirement she has fun at square dancing and playing mah-jongg. And she loves her furbaby Mia, a 12-lb mini goldendoodle.

MARNYE LANGER serves as the President and CEO of The Langer Group and its various holdings, all specializing in different aspects of the equestrian industry. The diversity and depth of The Langer Group encompasses event management, consulting, equestrian center operation, marketing and media, and an insurance agency.

A lifelong writer, The Tevis Cup: To Finish is to Win was published in 2003 by Globe Pequot Press. Marnye also earned five national journalism awards in the equestrian field.

Marnye has recently joined TalTsfany.com as the Project Manager, and she looks forward to increasing her activity and roles within Objectivism.

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Letters to the Editor Dear Editor

LISTS

Thanks for sharing. The checklist manifesto is a book that I share with all employees. We internally have built checklists for complex tasks and workflows that our team does. Occasionally engineers push back on the workflow being pedantic; however, I then use the airline pilot example. If warhardened pilots use checklists to ensure consistency and quality of results, surely engineers can do the same!

Dear Editor, I really enjoyed your article on lists. I also am a strong advocate of lists, and I thought it was good that you flagged non-ideal use cases. I learned that the hard way. I wish I had some to-do lists from when I was a teenager.

Elan Journo Irvine, California

Garrett Fowler Salt Lake City, Utah

Dear Editor

DICK FRANCIS

Great second issue – I particularly liked the article on “making lists” – I have always kept lists and even today in my retirement years – keeping lists is even more important to me.

Dear Editor, Please thank Evan Picoult for reminding me that I haven’t read Dick Francis in many years: My Israeli horse-veterinarian brother introduced me to this charming writer. I already finished Bonecrack and the next two recommendations are downloaded for my easy-listening during the trip.

It is nice to read a validation on why keeping lists is so important.

Keep the articles coming.

Louise Flores Houston, Texas

Ron Anvi Austin, Texas

BRIAN PHILLIPS spent his formative years owning a home improvement company, investing in real estate, and writing part-time. Now that he is grown up, he spends his time doing home improvement projects, writing part-time, and pursuing his hobbies of gardening and cooking. He is the author of the Shattering Paradigms series of Civil War era historical novels set in Fort Bend County, Texas.

Brian is also the author of four nonfiction books, including Individual Rights and Government Wrongs, and The Affordable Housing Crisis: Causes and Cures.

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FLOURISHING BY DESIGN The Invisible Architect of Happiness

By Jeri Eagan

not merely unpacking boxes. I was rebuilding what I now think of as the invisible architecture of happiness, the quiet structures that support our lives so well that we stop noticing them.

We spend much time thinking about our careers, relationships, health, and financial security, and rightly so. But happiness is not built only from achieving major goals. It is also built from the environments and structures we create for ourselves, from countless small decisions. It is worth giving attention to these.

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Like the foundation beneath a beautiful building, this invisible architecture often goes unnoticed. We tend to notice it when Every new place began in a similar way. There we need to reestablish it in a new home or when were stacks of boxes, unfamiliar rooms (and something is not working. This could be a chair sometimes unfamiliar cities and even countries), that hurts your back, a cluttered workspace and the feeling that nothing quite belonged. Yet that makes it difficult to think, or a kitchen after a month or two, the space began to feel like drawer that sticks every morning. None of these mine. Not because the walls had changed, but inconveniences is dramatic, but each distract from because I had recreated the conditions in which I a flourishing life. These distractions add up. thrive.

The reverse is equally true. Small improvements This included arranging my reading nest with have a way of compounding. Replace the a comfortable chair, a footrest, a table with a uncomfortable chair. Organize your workspace. lamp, and my old afghan. I positioned my desk Fix the drawer. Buy a coffee mug that makes you to face a window, surrounded it with the books smile every morning. The individual changes do and files needed most often, and placed my not transform your life, but collectively they create favorite notebook and Cross pen on it. The coffee an environment that quietly supports your days. machine was set up, the closets were organized, When I sit down at a desk that is orderly, well lit, and familiar routines gradually returned. I was and equipped with everything I need, my mind have moved into a new home twentyone times.

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seems to settle more quickly. I spend less energy overcoming little annoyances and more energy thinking. Good design removes friction. Artists have long understood this, learning where the lighting is best and how to set up their paints.

Writers surround themselves with books.

Gardeners design spaces that are inviting and pleasing to the eye. The environment is a part of the foundation of creativity.

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Once I recognized this pattern in my home, I began seeing it in other areas. The same principle, that a flourishing life can be enhanced by structures that are so well designed that we eventually stop noticing them, extends beyond our homes.

Consider friendships. Some endure because the people involved have intentionally built a 7

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structure that supports them, such as a monthly lunch or a Sunday phone call. These routines provide a framework within which friendships grow. Without that structure, even valued friendships often drift away into the familiar promise that “we really should get together sometime.”

Our calendars have architecture, too. Some people fill every available hour and wonder why they feel exhausted. Others leave generous spaces between commitments, giving themselves room to think, read, wander, or simply notice the changing season. Architects understand the importance of empty space within a building. A well-designed life also benefits from some empty space.

GOOD DESIGN REMOVES FRICTION

experience. A well-made fountain pen makes writing more pleasurable, as does the perfect notebook. A favorite painting changes the feeling of entering a room. Fresh flowers on the dining room table can bring joy, as can freshly washed sheets that you love.

Health, too, can have an invisible architecture.

People who stay healthy over the long run build environments and routines that quietly support good choices. They put walking shoes by the door, schedule regular medical appointments, and have exercise times on their calendars. These create a structure in which taking care of oneself becomes the natural thing to do. Good health is often less the product of discipline than of thoughtful design.

Every design choice is also a value judgment.

A reading chair by the window says that books matter. An organized desk says that efficiency and thinking matters. Walking shoes by the door say that health matters. A standing lunch with a friend says that the friendship matters. We do not simply organize our surroundings—we give physical form to the things we value most.

In any area, having a favorite, carefully selected item can also add value to an everyday

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The older I get, the more selective I have become about what deserves permanent space in my life. Every move required deciding what was worth packing and unpacking again. Some things made the trip twenty-one times. Others quietly disappeared after a single move.

Over the years I realized I was not merely editing my possessions—I was editing my life. I took a fresh look at my habits, friendships, furniture, books, and even ways of spending my time. Designing a life is not only about adding things. It is also about deciding what no longer deserves a place.

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Looking back, I do not remember the details of every home, every street, or every floor plan.

What I remember is recreating, again and again, the conditions that allowed me to think clearly, work well, welcome friends, and enjoy ordinary days.

an ordinary Tuesday morning. These choices are made by looking at the small details of our lives and asking whether they are helping us flourish or merely there because we have never thought to change them. We build our happiness through environments that support our values, through schedules that reflect our priorities, through objects chosen thoughtfully, and through spaces that encourage our creativity.

We spend much of life waiting for the next major event, such as a promotion, a vacation, a new home, to make us happier. Those moments matter. But happiness is also built quietly, almost invisibly, in the thousands of choices that shape

Design Questions

You might ask yourself: • What regularly creates irritation or unnecessary effort?

• • • • •

What am I tolerating that I could simply fix or replace?

Does my home support the way I want to live?

What routines would make good choices easier?

What friendships could use more intentional scheduling?

What small pleasure deserve a regular place in my life?

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THE CANCER REGISTRY

By Kelly Merriman

An Interview with Dr. Kelly Merriman

By Brian Phillips

EVERY DOT REPRESENTS A LIFE Together they reveal patterns impossible to see individually

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Dr. Kelly Merriman holds a PhD in Epidemiology

and a master’s in public health. She worked at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, for thirtythree years, and ran the center’s cancer registry for twelve years. She is the author of over forty peer-reviewed articles pertaining to cancer and epidemiology. Kelly teaches public health and informatics at the University of Texas McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics.

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any people are unfamiliar with cancer registries. What is a cancer registry?

area, not just people treated at certain hospitals or enrolled in research studies.

A cancer registry is an information system that allows for the collection, management, and analysis of information on cancer patients. The first modern hospital-based cancer registry was established at Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut in 1926, and the first state central registry was established in Connecticut in 1935. Most cancer registries include data on all malignant cancers, except for nonmelanoma skin cancers. Reported data can come from various medical facilities, including hospitals, physicians’ offices, and pathology laboratories. The registry at MD Anderson collects up to 250 data points on each patient that visits its facilities and goes back to 1944.

Across the country, state laws require the reporting of cancers to ensure accurate statistics and to support national cancer-control programs. An example of their importance are environmental cancer clusters, which are when a community reports more cancer cases than is expected. This can raise concerns about shared environmental factors, such as water, air, soil, workplace, or an industrial site. One of the largest discoveries was a cluster among shipyard and insulation workers that revealed asbestos as a carcinogen. It is important to note that not all suspected cancer clusters are real; they may be due to other factors. For example, Florida has a higher incidence of cancer, but it is due to more senior citizens living there than to any environmental exposures.

Collecting certain data, such as the type of cancer and stage at diagnosis, seems obvious.

What are some of the less obvious data points, and why are they collected?

Identifying clusters of cancer to help identify potential causes is one use of cancer registry data. What are some other uses of registry data?

Cancer registries collect standardized data describing the patient’s demographics, cancer site, diagnosis and lab tests, clinical and pathological stage, treatment and outcomes. These data elements support cancer surveillance, research, quality improvement, and public-health planning.

The data are collected for multiple reasons, including understanding the incidence of cancer, researching patterns of cancer treatment, improving patient care outcomes and survival, and supporting quality assessment across cancer programs. Researchers use registry data to identify risk factors, study disparities, and evaluate environmental exposures.

Why is the registry important?

Cancer registries are important because they provide complete, population-based data on who gets cancer, what types occur, how they are treated, and how outcomes change over time. Population-based means the data comes from everyone in a defined geographic

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Cancer registry data is critical for evaluating treatment outcomes because it links detailed clinical information (stage, biomarkers, and therapies) to long-term survival and recurrence patterns across 11

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entire populations. It is essential that we can monitor whether new drug therapies and treatments improve survival outside of clinical trials.

the full cancer journey—from diagnosis through treatment, survivorship, and long-term outcomes, including whether a cancer recurs or not. Using survival data such as vital status (dead or alive) and date of last contact or death, registries provide population-level evidence showing which treatments improve survival and which patient groups benefit most. For example, many leukemia and lymphoma patients are living much longer. Chronic myeloid leukemia survival rate has increased from 22 percent in the 1970s to 70 percent today.

You mention long-term survival. How is that tracked?

Cancer registries begin with passive follow-up and then move to active follow-up only when no updated information is found. Passive follow-up includes querying the hospital’s electronic health record for recent appointments and linking with national databases to obtain verified death information.

When these methods do not produce any updates, registry staff conduct active follow-up by contacting physician offices—and, when necessary, the patient— on an annual cycle. This outreach is done first by mail, and if there is no response, by phone, ensuring the registry maintains accurate, lifelong vital status information.

We often hear about surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation for treating cancer. Are there less debilitating treatments available?

Not that long ago, a cancer diagnosis was often regarded as a death sentence. What are some examples of the progress being made in the fight against cancer?

Cancer registries play a central role in documenting progress being made in the fight against cancer.

Because registries follow patients for life, they capture

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A major recent advancement in cancer treatment is immunotherapy, which enables the immune system to detect, target, and eliminate cancer cells with far greater precision. In contrast, traditional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation attack both healthy and malignant cells, often leading to significant complications. Immunotherapy has become a game changer for certain cancers, dramatically improving some stage IV melanoma and lung cancer patients. For example, for stage IV melanoma the five-year survival rate went from 15 percent twenty years ago to over 35 percent today.

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CAREERS Many people are concerned about sharing personal data, particularly medical data.

What would you say to those who are reluctant to share data with a cancer registry?

Cancer registry data is protected by strict state laws, kept confidential, and never released with personal identifiers. The information that patients contribute is used only for health purposes such as understanding treatment outcomes, identifying disparities, and improving cancer care for future patients. Sharing data helps registries track progress, evaluate what works, and ultimately save lives, all while keeping individual privacy fully safeguarded.

Are there other types of registries?

There are three types of cancer registries: hospital, population-based central registry, and special purpose registries. Special purpose registries are cancer registries created for a specific analytic or clinical purpose rather than for general populationbased surveillance. Two critical special databases include the National Childhood Cancer Registry (NCCR) and the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the

United States (CBTRUS). Both registries collect more detailed information on these rare cancers so that research can be identified and acted upon sooner.

There are also non-cancer registries including Alzheimer’s Prevention Registry, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry, Trauma Registry and more.

You recently retired after a long career helping to fight cancer. That can be a dramatic downshift for anyone passionate about their purpose. How is that going for you?

I have always believed you must have a purpose, even in retirement. For me, that purpose now centers on my health—more workouts, more rest—and on teaching, which continues to energize me. I am technically only semi-retired and, to my surprise, busier than I expected. I love teaching and hope to do even more of it, though I’m also discovering how much joy I get from swimming and making time for personal well-being and traveling more with my husband.

Purposeful Retirement by Hyrum W. Smith Reviewed by Kelly Merriman

I began planning my retirement from MD Anderson Cancer Center a year in advance, after spending more than 33 years doing work that truly reflected my passion in cancer epidemiology. I read many books on retirement, and the best was by Hyrum Smith, who is best known for creating the Franklin Day Planner.

He brings his trademark clarity and value-based approach to Purposeful Retirement. Drawing on the same principles that made his planner so influential, Smith argues that retirement must be intentional and grounded in purpose rather than simply leisure or drifting. His writing is often humorous, making serious topics like changes in identity (often the biggest challenge with retirement), aging, and purpose feel more approachable.

The heart of the book is simple but powerful: a fulfilling retirement requires knowing what matters most and structuring your days around it. Smith’s blend of practical wisdom, great sense of humor, and lifelong commitment to purposeful living makes this a thoughtful guide for anyone planning their next chapter in life.

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My Photographic Journey...

By Ken Bohlman

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have always enjoyed having a simple camera to take snapshots of scenery and peculiarities along the road as I traveled. After getting married, I continued for years to snap pictures as my wife and I traveled on our various vacations.

After retirement, my wife and I began to winter in Florida. It was then that I began my real fascination with photography. The wildlife in Florida, especially the waterfowl, drew me in to a fantastic new world.

I realized, however, that I could not obtain the best images of those beautiful birds with just a typical “point and shoot” camera. I would need something better, along with the appropriate lenses, to really capture their essential beauty with superb clarity and focus.

You can’t please everyone, so you’ve got to please yourself.

I also realized there would be a learning curve to really master this new equipment, so I joined the camera club that my wife belonged to.

As my skills grew, I entered some of the competitions that the camera club was associated with. I was very surprised when some of my images began to receive awards.

My wife and I don’t travel much anymore, so I now focus on local photography. There are lots of small “feeder birds” which I enjoy photographing right through my living room picture window. I maintain several bird feeders for just that purpose. From a AUTUMN 2026

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chair in the living room, I will set up a tripod with a remote switch on my camera. Then I set my camera to a fast shutter speed while anticipating a bird either flying in to, or leaving, a feeder. I will use a very fast shutter speed when doing this to “freeze” the motion of the bird’s wings. By using shutter speeds of 1/2000 of a second or faster, it is amazing to see the detail of the wings of a small bird in flight.

There is a walking path along a small river near my home in addition to an old mill pond nearby that has waterfowl at almost any time of year. I love taking a walk along a nature trail that traverses one side of the pond. I often take a long reach zoom lens on my camera in hopes of capturing some of the abounding nature there. I have seen and photographed

that one can enhance tones, sharpen photos that are mildly “soft,” and remove what is known as photographic “noise,” the grainy look that may appear when using certain camera settings. When satisfied, I often use such photos as my computer “wallpaper” for a day or so. I now enjoy photography more for my own personal satisfaction than for competitions.

ducks, swans, geese, herons, egrets and sandhill cranes on and in the water there.

After a day’s shoot I load the pictures to my computer. After deleting images that I feel are not worthy of saving, I begin to edit the better ones. Today’s editing software is amazing in

I have never sold a print, nor am I a professional photographer. I consider myself to be strictly a “hobbyist” in my photographic endeavors. There is a line in a song that says, “You can’t please everyone, so you’ve got to please yourself.”

That is exactly what I do now with my photography.

Left - colorful male cardinal Right - female cardinal

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“Nesting box” for bluebirds I built a “birdhouse”, which is really a “nesting box”, for bluebirds to raise their broods. Last year I saw two broods go through the box. There are currently five chicks in the box. The male has the darker blue, and the female has the more gray head.

1. “This looks like a great home.”

2. “The chick is hungry.”

5. “Let’s eat!”

3. “I’ll go look for some food.”

6. “More hungry chicks!”

4. “Okay, I found some.”

“Okay, I’m off again” 7. “Okay, I’m off again.”

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Woodpecker at Work The Pileated Woodpecker is the USA’s largest woodpecker.

This photo was taken while laying on the ground.

Notice how the chips of wood are flying - he was really peckin’ away.

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Hope Is The Thing With Feathers EMILY DICKINSON

“Hope” is the thing with feathers – That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops – at all – And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard – And sore must be the storm – That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm – I’ve heard it in the chillest land – And on the strangest Sea – Yet – never – in Extremity, It asked a crumb – of me.

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SEAFARING STORIES Patrick O’Brian

By Deborah Knapp

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hrough furious seas, through towering waves, one ship chases another. The year is 1811. Napoleon has conquered the Netherlands, and a Dutch ship pursues a ship of the British Navy. As each ship reaches the crest of a wave as tall as a mountain, it fires down upon its enemy, ripping holes in sails and hulls. The force of the wind alone is enough to tear the sails from their ropes, for the chase takes place in the “roaring forties,” the latitudes below the tips of South America and Africa where, with no land masses to impede them, furiously strong winds blow around the globe.

Should a mast fall, the ship will be swallowed by the waves.

as large as a man across the deck. Jack is hit, but, regaining consciousness, crawls to a gun and helps run it out through the gunport, ready to fire.

hill of green-grey with foam racing upon it.

For a moment he could not understand the cheering that filled the cabin, deafening his ears: then through the shattered deadlights he saw the Dutchman’s foremast lurch, lurch again, the stays part, the mast and sail carry away right over the bows.

The Leopard reached the

Jack’s response holds a clue to the emotional depth of O’Brian’s books, for there is much more to them than the excitement of naval battles.

“My God, oh my God,” he said. “Six hundred men.”

This is a story of a friendship that extends over years, a deep camaraderie between two men who might seem like polar opposites. Jack Aubrey

Jack Aubrey commands the HMS Leopard in this scene from Desolation Island, the fifth in a series of twenty books written by Patrick O’Brian. The foretopsail splits, and Jack, understanding at once the complex interaction of wind and wave with dozens of sails, shouts out orders which his men, who love him, obey at once. The sailors secured the topsail …while the ship plunged down the long slope among the smother of the breaking crest… A cruel struggle out there on the yard, cruel and long, fighting with canvas animated by such a force, but they bent the sail at last and came down, hands bleeding, the men looking as though they had been flogged.

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crest. Green water blinded him. It cleared, and through the bloody haze running from his cloth he saw the vast breaking wave with the Waakzaamheid broadside on its curl, on her beamends, broached to. An enormous, momentary turmoil of black hull and white water, flying spars, rigging that streamed wild for a second, and then nothing at all but the great 21

is a handsome, bluff, rugged, boisterous man of action. He has been at sea since the age of 12, and here, in his chosen domain, he is a natural leader.

Stephen Maturin has served as a surgeon on Jack’s ships ever since meeting at a concert just as Jack received his first command. He is a small, quiet, introspective man, an intellectual who speaks several languages and whose sentences are studded with Latin phrases.

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His abiding interest is “natural philosophy,” and his aim on every voyage is to collect and classify specimens of flora and fauna (much like Charles Darwin or Sir Joseph Banks).

Jack is hopeless on land. There all his practical sense seems

problems creatively, and to act with unhesitating natural courage.

Both men have a deep appreciation for music, and what leisure they have aboard ship is often spent playing duets on cello (Stephen) and violin

These books have everything: Suspense. Romance. Heroism.

Emotional depth and insight. to leave him and he is often swindled by con men. Stephen is hopeless at sea. Even after many years he cannot seem to remember the names of the parts of the ship, and, unable to climb a rope ladder, has to be lifted aboard in a “bosun’s chair.” Together, they are an odd couple, and their contrast is often played for deadpan humor.

But each man has hidden depths. Jack, it seems, has such a facility for mathematics (essential for navigation) that he has delivered papers to the Royal Society. Stephen, who is part Irish and part Catalan, secretly supported rebellion in his youth, but now he has another secret: he is an undercover British intelligence agent. The voyages of this pair often involve secret diaries, codes, and captures by French agents which require daring rescues.

(Jack.) They understand each other perfectly and each would give his life for the other.

These are adventure novels, but there is much more to them than adventure. One of the pleasures of the Aubrey/ Maturin novels is the language.

Patrick O’Brian immersed himself in the written records of the British Navy. (Several of the battles are based on real battles of the Napoleonic War and the War of 1812.) His sailors speak like 19th century sailors. Letters

from home read like letters in a Jane Austen novel.

The humor is wonderful.

Sometimes it is absurd, as when Jack has to escape across enemy territory disguised as a dancing bear.

Sometimes it involves broad puns, as in the famous scene where Stephen is asked to bet on which weevil (an insect which infected a ship’s store of biscuits) will win a race.

Stephen says he cannot choose: “There is not a scrap of difference. Arcades ambo.

They are the same species of curculio, and there is nothing to choose between them.”

Jack forces him to make a choice, and so he chooses: “the right-hand weevil; it has a perceptible advantage in both length and breadth.”

“There I have you,” cried Jack. “You are bit – you are completely dished. Don’t you know that in the Navy you must always choose the

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knowledge than Stephen, and I remember puzzling over the term “weather gage,” something it is essential to have on one’s side. I learned that in any naval battle it is crucial to have the wind behind your own ship and blowing towards the enemy, and much strategy is involved in gaining this weather gage before the engagement begins.

lesser of two weevils? Oh, ha, ha, ha, ha!”

Sometimes there is humor in the situation, as when Stephen is so immersed in his nature studies that he is left behind on a tiny island, forced to survive on bird droppings. Ditto the situation when Jack’s crew, on land between assignments, clean Jack’s house the way they would treat their ship, disassembling every window frame and door to paint them, and scrubbing the floor clean with sand.

Jack’s mangled quotations are a running gag. When he says, “They have chosen their cake and they must lie in it,” Stephen replies, “You mean they cannot have their bed and eat it?”

The characters develop over the course of twenty books, from Master and Commander (1969) to Blue at the Mizzen (1999). Jack gradually earns promotion from lieutenant to rear admiral, growing from careless youth to mature man.

Stephen, who for years nurtures hopeless romantic feelings for a strong and beautiful woman, does find love in the end.

In each book we discover new things. Did we know that Jack can play the violin with profound emotion and has been holding himself back to support Stephen? Did we know that Stephen, who appears so bumbling at first, is dangerously expert with a sword or a pistol and has killed a man in a duel?

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The supporting characters are a rich source of enjoyment as well. The clergyman who has a hidden vice. The woman who is hidden aboard ship. Preserved Killick, Jack’s steward, who mutters rebellious responses under his breath, but is fiercely loyal: “Which I’m coming, sir.

Which it will be ready when it’s ready.” The rich cast with their individual quirks reminds one of a Dickens novel.

The language is so authentically early 19th century that a reader might find it hard going at first.

Such is the case with the many nautical terms. (A book by Dean King, A Sea of Words, is a great help.) But do stay with it, for the reward is great. When I first read these books twenty years ago I had less nautical 23

Learning new things is part of the pleasure of these books. Patrick O’Brian’s Navy: An Illustrated Companion by Richard O’Neill is helpful.

So is Not Enough Room to Swing a Cat by Martin Robson, which tells the naval origin of such phrases as “the bitter end,” “above board,” “copper bottomed,” “the devil to pay,” “leeway,” and hundreds more.

I have since read all the books several times, something which members of the Patrick O’Brian Facebook group call “making a circumnavigation.” Every single time I notice many new things. And from being nothing but a “lubbardly,” shore-bound ignoramus I have become an aficionado of matters naval.

These books have everything: Suspense. Romance. Heroism.

Emotional depth and insight.

Give them a try!

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DIGITAL FAVORITES The Best in Devices and Apps Jeri Eagan

Your Friend

I

say “Alexa, good morning” and it turns on the lights and tells me the weather and my schedule. At night it turns out all the lights and wishes me a good night - from routines I set.

It can play music from my playlists or any random song that occurs to me. I can ask when my Amazon package will be delivered. With its new AI capabilities, I can ask a broad range of questions.

I have a device in every room. And since I live alone, I love the security of knowing I can ask it to call for help if ever I have an accident.

Health Tracker

Stuff Tracker

E

T

ven with all the watches and rings, there is nothing like a chest band to monitor heart rate real time during an aerobic workout. After trying different brands, I have landed on the thin, accurate Morpheus monitor, recommended to me by Mary Heinking.

racking your stuff is important. If you have ever been the victim of lost luggage, you know just what I mean.

One way to do this is the use of these little Apple airtags. Their location can be tracked on your iPhone under FindMe. I have one in my all of my suitcases and purses.

By measuring your HRV and resting heart rate in just two and a half minutes, Morpheus calculates your recovery score: a precise read on how recovered your nervous system actually is.

Based on this it recommends heart rate zones.

For your wallet, a friend told me about these credit card sized trackers that work like a charm in his wallet. - RIDGE. SI NGULAR

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M

To Create

y favorite app for drawing and image creation is ProCreate. It works best with an iPad and Apple pencil.

There are hundreds of brushes to use - from pencils, pens, and paintbrushes to chalks, charcoals and smudgers. They mimic the feel of the actual analogue tools.

It is very easy to learn on your own - compared to an Adobe Cloud app.

For Android users, try HiPaint.

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To Focus

or focusing, a timer can be a great help. This Session app is the best one I have found for this.

I set my sessions for 30 minutes. It provides a 2-minute warning. When the session ends, you can rate it. You can set up categories and track how much time you spend on particular activities in a day.

And it syncs between all of my Apple devices.

Toggl Track is a similar app for Android users.

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To Organize

O

ne of the best apps for getting organized with lists is Microsoft To Do, recommended to me by Sandra Schwartz.

It’s easily customizable to whatever list organization one needs. From Tasks and Projects, which can be further divided (calls, emails, errands), to storing lists of medications and medical history.

It’s free on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

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APPLE

A DAY.....

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SQUARE DANCING 101

By Sandra Schwartz

D

id you square dance in grade school? Do you still remember do-sa-do and grandright-and-left? Back in the day it was a popular activity for grade-schoolers during recess or gym class. I square danced back then, and I thought it was tremendous improvement over calisthenics. It still remains a fond memory for me.

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In September of 2012, my husband, Peter, and I had our separate sporting activities. He was participating in an overforty softball league, and I was competing in fencing, which we both enjoyed a couple of times a week. However, I wanted an activity we could do together.

Square dancing popped into my mind, probably from that grade-school memory. I liked 28

the idea, but I really didn’t think Peter would be receptive.

Nevertheless, I asked him if he’d like to try square dancing, and, boy, did he surprise me— he said he’d give it a go!

I found a nearby club in Connecticut that had just started lessons which ran weekly, from September through April. Students danced AUTUMN 2026

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with experienced dancers who have been dubbed angels.

After that, we had a graduation dance and earned our club name-tag badges. We were now officially square dancers, able to participate in our club’s biweekly dances, attend the dances of other clubs, or even go to state and national conventions which are hugely popular.

Square dancing is a wonderful, multilayered activity. First and foremost, it is a physical activity. During a typical dance, hundreds or thousands of steps are taken, and there are multiple dances in an afternoon or evening. If one has a goal of, say, ten thousand steps, this is a great way to work those steps into one’s routine.

It’s cardio—it can really get one’s heart pumping.

club members, dancers from neighboring clubs. If one attends a state or national convention, there are even more people to meet and make friends with.

One nice aspect of square dancing that is generally not known is that it is a worldwide activity. After World War II, when America occupied West Germany and Japan, G.I.s brought square dancing to those countries and others in Europe.

And it continues to be popular there, even in Japan. Students

the country itself. In the 17th and 18th centuries, settlers from England brought in their country dances; French settlers brought in quadrilles and cotillions; and settlers from other European countries brought in their own folk dances. These styles of dance mingled and merged in the 19th century—and American square dancing was born.

In the early 20th century Henry Ford promoted square dancing as an American activity. Traditional square dancing developed regionally: in the Northeast or the New England style, in the Southeast or the Appalachian style, and in the Western region which developed into what is predominantly danced today—Modern Western Square Dance.

Square Dancing is a wonderful, multilayered activity.

Second, square dancing is a fabulous, two-part mental activity. As a beginner, one has to learn the steps in a call and commit the sequence of steps to memory. And there are dozens of calls being taught during the series of lessons. Repetition during the lessons is a big help, and the teacher-caller makes sure to work that into them.

Then, once one graduates as a square dancer, one has to quickly recall, then execute the calls correctly, one after another.

Third, square dancing is a social activity. Whether one comes to square dancing as an individual or a couple, one meets lots of new people: fellow students, AUTUMN 2026

in non-English speaking countries are instructed in their native language, but they learn the calls in English. So, one can square dance internationally.

On a short vacation to Montreal (there’s lots of square dancing in Canada), Peter and I found a club there, and we danced the night away. And we know a couple in Connecticut who met while square dancing in West Germany, and they got married.

In America, dancing is as old as

Four couples make up the square in square dancing, and the caller announces the dance steps to be executed to music. The steps can be as ridiculously simple as the aforementioned do-sa-do or as complicated as spin-chainand-exchange-the-gears or pass-and-roll-your-criss-cross-

SQUARE DANCE CLUBS AND DANCES CEDER SQUARE DANCE RESOURCES ceder.net/resources/ (Find a club by country, state, or province.)

CALLERLAB’S FIND A DANCE LOCATIONS livelivelysquaredance.com/ WHERE’S THE DANCE? wheresthedance.com

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neighbor. Given the complex nature of many of the steps, they have been standardized and categorized by an American group known as Callerlab, the International Association of Square Dance Callers. The steps are subdivided into five levels of difficulty: Basic (very easy), Mainstream (easy), Plus (medium), Advanced (hard), and Challenge (extra hard).

Lessons for beginners start with Basic and Mainstream and usually conclude with Plus. Classes for Advanced or Challenge are given separately if there is enough interest. Most clubs conduct their dances at the Mainstream or Mainstream and Plus levels, and a few clubs may do only Plus.

A host club usually schedules its dances weekly, biweekly, or monthly. Dances are usually between two and three

hours long. And there may be refreshments. Our Connecticut club had two groaning boards loaded with finger sandwiches, crudités (rabbit food), soups, cakes, pies, cookies, candy, coffee, and tea.

The dress code is simple. Neat, clean casual attire like slacks and long-sleeved shirts for men, and skirts or slacks and blouses for women, is just fine. There are shoes made specifically for square dancing, but anything comfortable is the way to go.

Club badges or name tags are important as a great aid to the social aspect of square dancing. Sometimes individuals may choose to dress in more traditional square dance attire.

For men that consists of a long-sleeved, Western-style, button-down-the-front shirt, perhaps with a bolo or string tie, jeans, a fancy belt buckle, and

SQUARE DANCE ATTIRE SQUARE UP FASHIONS squareupfashions.com • One of the largest dedicated square dance retailers: dresses, skirts, petticoats, blouses, men’s western shirts, shoes, and accessories.

PETTICOAT JUNCTION DANCE SHOP petticoatjct.com • Known for square dance apparel, prairie skirts, western shirts, and petticoats.

BRANTLEY’S WESTERN & CASUAL WEAR brantleyswesternsupply.com • Carries both western wear and square dance clothing.

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cowboy boots. Peter dressed like that for our Connecticut club, but skipped the fancy buckle and cowboy boots. For women there’s a wide skirt with multiple crinolines (wide, stiff petticoats) underneath, a matching blouse, a wide elastic cinch belt (like those for poodle skirts in the 1950s), and square dance shoes. I hated those crinoline get-ups, what I call “poofy” skirts, and refused to wear one. Instead, I wore a long denim skirt, a casual blouse, and square dance shoes. If one decides to wear traditional attire, there are websites on the Internet that sell it. Remember, traditional attire is purely optional.

One registers and pays the entrance fee (in southwest Florida it’s eight or ten dollars per person, a cheap date). The club may raise additional funds with Split-the-Pot tickets—the winner and the club each get half the pot.

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in which the caller sings a song and interweaves the calls into the lyrics. This two-dance arrangement is called a tip.

When each tip is over, there’s a short break for refreshment and socializing. Then, tips and breaks alternate until it’s time to go home.

The style of music at a square dance is at the caller’s discretion. Anything goes: traditional square dance songs, rock ‘n’ roll, standards, holiday songs, big band, etc.

A square dance club may offer a second type of dancing called round dancing. If so, square dance tips alternate with round dance tips. Some attendees dance both while others will only square dance. The round dance community is much smaller than the square dance community.

Round dancing is a variation of ballroom dancing, performed by couples in a large circle on the dance floor. A cuer (just like a caller) calls out the steps the couples execute. The dances can be waltzes, foxtrots, cha-chas, rumbas, etc. The steps have been standardized and categorized into levels of difficulty by Roundalab, the International Association of Round Dance Teachers. Couples learn the steps in classes progressively, just as square dancers do. And there is round dancing at all levels at square dance conventions.

I hope my comments have given you a new appreciation of the wonderful world of square dancing. I enjoy the social aspect: square dancers AUTUMN 2026

tend to be good and nice people with whom one would like to spend some time. I love that it is a physical activity I can share with Peter. I love the mental sharpness and focus that must be maintained to dance well. One of the best experiences one can have at square dancing, especially at the Plus level, is when everyone in your square dances cleanly, with no mistakes. You are one 31

with your body and mind; and you are one with your squaremates, the caller, and the music.

Everything integrates. Square dancing doesn’t get more beautiful than that.

Try square dancing now—the new season starts in the fall! I guarantee you’ll like it!

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Dream Garden

The JOYS of

GARDENING

By Brian Phillips

G

ardening offers a variety of values. Fresh herbs and produce please the palate.

Beautiful flowers, as well as the butterflies and hummingbirds they attract, please the eye. And the satisfaction of nurturing plants to maturity pleases the soul.

I have been an avid gardener for over forty years. According to my mother, my gardening experiences began when I was four. In my zeal to help her in the garden, and without her knowledge, I dug a hole and dumped an entire packet of radish seeds into it. Fortunately, my understanding of proper gardening techniques has improved since then. Indeed, learning about new plants and methods is one joy to be found in gardening.

Living in southeast Texas, I can grow vegetables and herbs year-round. When many people are shoveling snow, I am often picking tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce. While many of my vegetables, such as tomatoes and green beans, stop producing during the heat of the summer, I have fresh vegetables year-round. I get great pleasure from eating produce that I harvested an hour or two before.

While vegetables are seasonal, many of my other gardening projects take years before they reach fruition. As an example, when I moved into my current home, a bed was filled with overgrown azaleas. When they bloom, azaleas are spectacular, but they bloom for only three weeks a year. I wanted something that would provide more pleasure and be easier to manage.

I spent a week digging up the azaleas, and then I replaced them with…azaleas. Some people initially thought I was crazy to go through such an effort. However, the new azaleas—called Encore—bloom three to four times a year and

Gardening offers both short-term and longterm values. With few exceptions, vegetables and herbs must be replanted each year. In the spring, I transplant tomatoes and peppers, and SI NGULAR

sow seeds for beans and cucumbers. Within two months, they are producing blossoms, and I eagerly inspect the plants daily to spot the first vegetables of the season. The first harvest is always a cause for a culinary celebration.

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are much more compact. It will be several years before the new plants reach their mature size, but I now have the pleasure of blooming azaleas multiple times a year and don’t have to contend with out-of-control plants. Discovering new plants, such as Encore azaleas, allows me to improve my landscape continually and achieve the results I want.

block the window. After I spotted lantana in a neighbor’s yard, I thought it would be perfect.

And it was for about three months.

The lantana thrived.

While it didn’t get too tall, it spread rapidly and far. I had to prune it constantly to keep it out of the grass. It had become a weed—a plant that was growing where it was unwanted. I enjoyed the butterflies and hummingbirds that

A lot of gardening is experimental. A plant that looks great at the nursery or in a neighbor’s yard doesn’t always look great in my landscape.

For example, I wanted a flowering plant outside the bay window in my office. It needed to thrive in the hot afternoon sun, not require a lot of maintenance, and stay short enough to not

Lantana

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were attracted to the abundant flowers, but the ongoing work to control it was contrary to my goal of minimal maintenance. So, I dug up the lantana and looked online for a slower growing and more manageable ground cover.

The previous owner of my current home was also an avid gardener, but I didn’t like the plants I inherited. They worked for her, but not for me. Other than the trees, only one of her plants remains.

I wasn’t familiar with the plant I chose, and I had a difficult time locating a nursery that stocked it. The plant—called horse herb—is native to southeast Texas, so I knew it would do well. Interestingly, after I planted the horse herb, I saw it in the yards of many of my neighbors. And then, to my amusement and consternation, I found several patches of horse herb in my backyard.

As the lantana showed, a spreading plant is sometimes desirable, and at other times that same plant becomes a nuisance. Discovering

The lantana is only one example of a plant that didn’t “work.” I have tried many plants that thrived and then spread to places I didn’t want them. Several times I spent years digging up the unwanted plants before I finally eradicated the invasive species. What “works” is contextual and is determined by one’s goals and preferences.

The best thing to put on your plants is your shadow. exactly how a plant will grow can be aggravating and disappointing, but it is a part of the learning process. Experimenting is necessary to ultimately achieve the results I desire. The lantana I dug up, for example, was put in pots on my patio.

The plants are happy in their new home, and I am happy that they are easier to control. As an additional benefit, the potted plants are easier to protect from an occasional freeze. Indeed, after a freeze last winter, I had the pleasure of blooming lantanas in January.

Understanding the unique needs and characteristics of each plant is a crucial part of gardening. Some plants thrive under the intense summer sun of Texas, while other plants require protection from direct afternoon sun. Some plants, such as azaleas, prefer acidic soil. When the leaves on the two Encore azaleas I have in pots yellowed, I added coffee grounds to the soil.

Within a month, the leaves had returned to their natural dark green. Providing each plant with the conditions it requires can be challenging, particularly if the various plants in a bed have different requirements.

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While the soil in many parts of the country is ideal for a variety of landscape plants, southeast Texas isn’t one of those places. The soil is essentially clay, and it requires substantial amendment to provide a healthy environment.

For my flower beds and vegetable garden, I compost grass clippings, leaves, and other vegetation to improve the soil and add nutrients.

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Horse herb

The bulk of my gardening time is spent outdoors, but I also have almost two dozen houseplants.

Those plants are much easier to care for because they aren’t subjected to wind, drought, excessive rain, or any of the other environmental factors that impact outdoor plants. My houseplants don’t provide spectacular blooms like an azalea or crepe myrtle, but their colors and textures are appealing.

There is no fool-proof route to gardening success. However, there is one thing you can put on your plants that will greatly increase the likelihood of getting the results you desire. This is true no matter where you live or what you are growing. The best thing to put on your plants is your shadow.

my beds. The leaves help retain moisture, and as they decompose, they add organic material to the soil.

Despite my long love affair with compost, I am not an organic gardener. I depend on fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides that use petroleumbased ingredients. I have experimented with various organic products, but I have found them less effective, more expensive, and not as easy to get.

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Nearly every day, I spend at least five to ten minutes walking around my yard and inspecting my plants. I can literally stop and smell the roses, as well as appreciate the environment I have created. In addition, these short walks allow me to identify which plants may need additional watering, pruning, or other attention.

Plants are like children, and they both must be nurtured. If we want our plants to be healthy and produce the results we desire, we must give them the attention and conditions they need to thrive.

The ongoing pleasure of fresh produce, blooming flowers, and a patiently crafted landscape is worth the effort.

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PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

THINK. DECIDE. ACT.

By Marnye Langer

H

ave you ever been uncertain? Have you wondered if you are doing the most meaningful things with your life? Have you ever asked if there was more to life?

That was me in 2024. Many factors were piling up one upon the other; I was overwhelmed, and I didn’t know how to sort things out. I knew Tal Tsfany was doing something with happiness and pursuit of goals. I reached out to Tal, he responded, and before I knew it, I was on a Zoom call with Tal answering his questions and discussing why I felt I was at a crossroads.

Tal shared a bit about his personal story, how at forty years old, he outwardly had the “perfect” life. He had a great job, was making a substantial amount of money, had a lovely family . . . and he was miserable.

He described his situation as living a “good enough life.” After a co-worker suggested he read The Fountainhead, Tal “met” Howard Roark, the main character. This began the profound changes that led Tal to Objectivism, becoming CEO of the Ayn Rand Institute, and developing his Hero Mastermind program.

The System Step 1 – Observation: Study the types of activities, relationships and environments that animate you.

Step 2 – Analysis: Structure your values, prioritize and understand how your values fit together.

Step 3 – Commitment: Select the right value for pursuit. Build the reasoning, planning and motivation to commit to action.

Standing in my kitchen that August morning, with Tal’s enthusiasm and certainty emanating through the Zoom call, I knew I wanted for myself what he created for himself.

Step 4 – Pursuit & Monitoring: Get things done. Stay focused and overcome obstacles. Monitor your inner world and use introspective tools to get unstuck.

A month later I found myself part of a Hero Mastermind group. Tal talked about happiness as a deeply profound, lasting state of being. He talked about values and how we must act to gain or keep them.

The rest of us were in the Observation phase (see sidebar) as most people are when they begin asking, “Am I really living the life I want to live?” Or “What’s next?” Or similar questions.

Within months we developed a solid cohort of seven of us, all bringing interesting and varied goals.

The Team - Before •

Sarah was a scientist-turned-novelist who was finishing her first book and trying to figure out how to market it. She knew what she wanted; she wasn’t sure how to get it.

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•

Ryan, our Canadian peer had recently left his civil service project management position and was embarking on a consulting path.

•

Catherine wanted to figure out how to incorporate both Objectivism principles and Thomas Gordon’s Parent Effectiveness Training and was hoping to write an article on the topic aimed at parents of young children.

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Glen, a very successful businessman, had recently sold his latest business and was looking for his next steps and purpose.

•

Svetlana was questioning who she was, what she was doing, and whether she even had the right to contemplate those questions.

•

John was a retired Navy officer and successful businessman. He was looking forward and planning his next steps once he sold his current business. He was also hoping to find a romantic partner to share his life with.

And me? I was trying to figure out my next steps.

I was immersed in the equestrian industry, and together with my husband, we had built a successful business. Due to major changes, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. My husband was forced into retirement due to age and health issues. Our industry was undergoing major changes that were significantly impacting our company. I helped my husband realize all of his goals and then some. I was stepping out from his shadow, looking around, and suspecting I wanted to pursue a different path.

I remember telling Tal at the outset, “Look, I am sixty. I plan to live another forty years. I want to be purposeful and make the right decisions for me.”

The Process Nestled between psychology and self-help, Tal’s program helps people better understand themselves.

The tools help us to live more fulfilling lives, make decisions that honor our values, and bring forth the hero in each of us. Think. Decide. Act. The program defines the four stages that create a virtuous circle to guide us throughout our lives Observation, Analysis, Commitment, and Pursuit & Monitoring. (See sidebar)

Rejuvenation, and Finance.) We looked for themes within our galaxy. Because you can’t effectively pursue each domain simultaneously, we each selected one we wanted to focus on. We quickly recognized that this too is cyclic. Someone might choose Relationships to pursue, and once the goal is achieved, that person may then decide to focus on Career.

As we chose and pursued the spotlighted value within our focus domain, it turned out that Pursuit was often one of the most difficult actions to take.

We shared our Value Galaxies with one another. We asked a lot of questions, and we kept adjusting and refining our Value Galaxies. Our Value Galaxies gave us insights into ourselves and one another. I started to really know these people I was journeying with. Tal journeyed with us. He refined his Value Galaxy, and he shared the challenges and frustrations of writing his book, “Secrets of a Passionate Life.” Tal didn’t tell us what to do, he showed us.

Sometimes Tal put one of us on the “hot seat” and asked difficult and probing questions. Sometimes there were tears, sometimes deep frustration or exasperation, yet through it all we were each learning about ourselves, identifying what was truly important to us, and figuring out how to pursue what we wanted.

As the months passed, during our weekly meetings we engaged with one another. We asked questions. We sought to understand. We encouraged one another, and at times we pushed one another to dig deeper or be more honest. Tal was with us, doing the same and guiding us individually and as a group.

My Value Galaxy lives on my bedroom wall, comprised of many, many Post-it notes (see image).

When I first open my eyes in the morning, I see my values. When I close my eyes at night, the last thing

Value Domains

One of our first steps was creating a Value Galaxy— identifying everything important to us (see example).

It was more difficult than it seemed. Concepts like “friendship” were too vague. Tal prodded us to go deeper and get more specific. What was it about friendship that was a value? Who were those friends?

Why those people?

· Career · Relationships · Health & Rejuvenation · Wealth

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MARNYE’S VALUES GALAXY Colors represent value domains.

I see are my values. They have become my guiding principles. I move them around, some values take center stage, while others linger in the background, ready to move and adjust as I journey through my life.

Objectivism, to giving a speech, conducting seminars, and continuing to coach parents.

Although uncertain at the beginning, she found a path to incorporate both PET and Objectivism not only to help parents with raising children, but to all relationships of people of all ages.

She is pursuing opportunities to share her deep knowledge.

When I am presented with a choice, I use my Value Galaxy to guide me. Think. Decide. Act.

The Team - After As our year-long program neared the end, I marveled at the transformation each of us underwent.

.

•

Glen decided to become more involved in Objectivism, takes courses from Ayn Rand University, and he has become involved in developing the nascent sport of Padel in the United States. He travels to tournaments to cheer for his adult sons, both top-ranked professional players.

•

Sarah’s book got published to acclaim and she learned how to market, including becoming more comfortable with promoting herself. She is underway with her second novel.

•

Ryan pivoted from working as a consultant to pursuing a position in a company. He realized he loved his project work; he did not want to run a business. He accepted a position in a U.S. company, moved to Kansas City, MO, is staying connected to his family, and is thriving.

•

Svetlana made significant changes to her life by getting out of a difficult marriage, exerting her autonomy, and moving to a place that represented many of her values, like living near the beach.

She is pursuing interests outside her vocation.

Svetlana now radiates joy instead of despondency.

•

Catherine went from hoping to write an article about Parent Effectiveness Training (PET) and

•

John has developed a clear path for his company and his next steps. Like Glen, he is an advocate

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for Objectivism and serves on a Tennessee group of businessmen working to change regulations and laws, as well as promoting moral ideas about the virtue of business and productivity. Although John has not yet found that “special someone,” he has a solid idea of the type of partner he is seeking.

And me? I moved from California to South Carolina.

I built an office for one of my businesses on my fortyseven-acre farm I named, “Next Chapter Ridge” and I am steadily and purposefully winding down my equestrian-focused businesses, while keeping an eye out for my “next chapter.”

For me, the biggest takeaway working with Tal in his Hero Mastermind program is my certainty and confidence in making decisions. Think. Decide. Act. I am more confident in saying both “yes” and “no” as I come to forks in my road.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT Our group dubbed ourselves “Happiness Heroes”, and we continue to meet every few weeks. We went through an intense, inspiring journey together, and we have forged bonds that will likely carry us forward for a very long time.

Knowing my values and seeing our Happiness Heroes group continue, Tal reached out to me with an offer: Help him build his Hero Mastermind program into a business that can reach many more people who want to improve their lives, have agency over their own paths, and know themselves deeply, with profound happiness as the result. I saw so many of my values embodied in that offer that it was easy to say, “Yes!”

If you are interested in Tal’s program, visit taltsfany.com or his YouTube channel.

THE TEAM - From left: Glen Agritelley, Marnye Langer, Ryan Ward, Svetlana Tenenbaum, Amanda Maxham, Sarah Farivar-Hayes; Missing: John Cerasuolo, Catherine Dickerson

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