Lisa notes

CAPTCHA Got It Wrong About My Humanity

By LisaNotes June 11, 2026 My stories, Relationships, Shift: One Word 2026, Technology 1 Comment

Choose the Things That Are Fragile

I type in the message I want to leave in the comment box beneath a friend’s blog post.

Then the CAPTCHA appears.

You know how it works. Before I can hit “submit,” I need to prove I am human.

Usually that means identifying things like traffic lights or crosswalks. This time, the challenge throws me.

Choose the things that are fragile.

The screen fills with eight tiny squares.

Four contain teacups
Four contain motorcycles

I know what they want me to click, even though I don’t think it’s accurate.

I have a very human response alright. But it isn’t what the spam blocker intends.

It isn’t logic. It is fear.

The Birthday Request

My young grandson had been waiting for his birthday for months. He had requested a dirt bike.

That was no surprise. Since he was tiny, he has always been fascinated by any vehicle with wheels. As he got older, he began riding trikes and bikes and motorized Power Wheels with confidence and coordination beyond his age. He’d been a happy passenger on his dad’s dirt bike every opportunity he could get.

And now he was ready for one of his own.

I knew this birthday was coming.
I knew this bike was coming.
But I dreaded it anyway.

Not because I doubted his abilities to ride a motorized bike. Nor did I doubt his parents’ judgment to choose an age-appropriate one.

My fear arose from knowing how fragile a little boy’s body can be.

I tear up when he skins a knee on the concrete after a bicycle wreck. I wince if he runs into something while playing. Add more speed and a bigger machine, and my imagination supplies even more possibilities of danger.

The Fragile Cargo

The birthday arrived.
The dirt bike was given.
The first ride was taken.

And my grandson loved it. Of course he did. And I was excited for him. Truly.

The bike is designed for beginners and doesn’t go very fast. When he rides, he wears every piece of safety gear imaginable. He rides supervised. He rides carefully.

And he rides with pure joy.

Still, I know he can get hurt. Then again, so can any of us. We can wreck our cars. Miss a step on the stairs. Catch a virus we never saw coming.

Life keeps us aware of all the ways things can break.

That’s why the CAPTCHA stops me.

I know I’m supposed to click only the teacups as the fragile items, not the motorcycles too. But I want to yell back, “ALL these items in the squares are fragile!”

Because a motorcycle is now carrying my fragile boy.

And with it, my fragile heart.

What AI Doesn’t Understand

Maybe I understand CAPTCHA’s question better than it does.

I’ve lived long enough to know that fragility isn’t limited to dainty china teacups.

Bodies are fragile.
Egos are fragile.
Relationships are fragile.

Part of being human means being fragile. AI might mimic our words and our logic and, in its own way, our kindness.

But AI cannot wake up at night and worry about a grandson riding a dirt bike.

It also can’t feel the delight we get watching someone receive a much-wanted birthday present and have it live up to their dreams.

AI does not know what love feels like.

A Human Choice

As a human being, I can breathe and bleed. I can laugh and cry. And I can bend and break. Every meaningful thing in my life carries the possibility of being broken or lost one day.

We live in fragile bodies with fragile hearts. We take risks every day, whether we’re getting behind the wheel of a car, starting a new relationship, trusting someone with our story.

Or climbing onto a dirt bike.

Sometimes we get hurt. And sometimes things break. Sometimes we break.

Yet on every morning that we can, we get up and do it again. Move again. Risk again.

And love again. Maybe that’s the real test of humanity: loving even when we know things can break.

To please CAPTCHA and get my comment approved, I click on the 4 teacups. I leave the motorcycles unchecked.

But between you and me, I know the most fragile things aren’t even the teacups.

They are the people.

Let’s keep choosing them.

What fragile thing do you continue to love despite the risks that come with caring deeply?

Share in the comments.

P.S. My One Word this year is Shift. Somewhere between the teacups and the motorcycles, my attention shifted from what was fragile to who was fragile.

More on AI:

That “Friend” Is Not Who You Think They Are
As AI becomes more helpful and polite, it’s easy to confuse it with friendship. Think about why human connection still matters.
What the Algorithm Does to Our Words—and Why It Matters
How are algorithms changing language through online slang, euphemisms, and emotional manipulation? And what does it mean for our culture?
When to Ignore GPS (and Listen to Yourself Instead)
Sometimes GPS isn’t best. Here’s how one road trip reminded me that the best navigation system is sometimes your own intuition.
Do You Say Thank You to AI? The Bots Are Listening
Do you say thank you to AI? Are we trusting AI too much? Stay aware of how computers are shaping us.

A Little Bit of Everything: 8 Book Recommendations Across Genres

By LisaNotes June 3, 2026 Books I Recommend 37 Comments

“There is no such thing as too many books, just not enough shelves.”

I like to read across a lot of genres, so this month’s recommendations should give you some variety. These eight books touch on psychology and spirituality to history, memoir, and classic fiction. I found something unique and valuable in each one.

I’ve sprinkled in a few quotes as well from each book.

[See previously recommended books here]

NONFICTION

1. 100 Things We’ve Lost to the Internet
by Pamela Paul

I loved reminiscing through this list of 100 everyday experiences, habits, and connections that we used to have. Many of these things have disappeared in modern life due to the internet, for better or worse (depending on your perspective), such as:

Getting lost
Losing your ticket (although I can lose my digital ticket too if I forget where I have it on my phone)
TV Guide
Maps
Blind dates
Boredom

“People have always spent lots of time on the phone; the difference is that before, we spent it on actual phone calls. Imagine that.”

~ ~ ~

“What did parents in the seventies do when kids were bored in the back seat? Nothing! They let them suck in gas fumes. Torture their siblings. And since it wasn’t actually used for wearing, play with the seatbelt.”

~ ~ ~

“In my childhood view of the world, kids were either born into a fun-loving, full-color World Book Encyclopedia family or consigned to a boring, beige Encyclopedia Britannica family like mine.”

(I was definitely in an Encyclopedia Britannica family—I was fairly old before I could even understand what the entries meant. I was jealous of my friends who had the World Book set. )

2. What Matters Most
Lessons the Dying Teach Us About Living
by Diane Button

This was a beautiful telling of story after story from Diane Button’s work as a death doula with people nearing the end of life.

So, what did she find matters most? Spoiler alert: “People and relationships are the core of what matters most.”

“To die with gratitude, you must learn to live with gratitude. To die with a joyful heart, you must learn to live with a joyful heart. To die surrounded by love, you must live surrounded by love. To die in peace, you must learn to live in peace. To die well, you must learn to live well.”

3. Give and Take
A Revolutionary Approach to Success
by Adam Grant

Who ends up more successful: givers, matchers, or takers? Do the most competitive people end up winning the most?

Adam Grant says no. His research shows that generous people—even when they’re literally giving things away—usually achieve the most extraordinary success. (This is Book # 17 for me from Daniel Pink’s 21 Favorite Books list; you can find the list here. It’s been almost a year since I started, but I’m getting there, slowly but surely….)

“Givers reject the notion that interdependence is weak. Givers are more likely to see interdependence as a source of strength, a way to harness the skills of multiple people for a greater good.”

4. When Things Don’t Go Your Way
Zen Wisdom for Difficult Times
by Haemin Sunim

So many great lessons here, and in short doses. Zen teacher Haemin Sunim writes about how to handle disappointment, uncertainty, and hardship with more peace and acceptance.

“Why are we unhappy? The answer is rather simple. We are unhappy because we can’t find peace with what is. We wish things to be different from what is happening at that moment.”

~ ~ ~

“They say that the chance of laughter is thirty times higher when you are with friends than when you are alone. We laugh only fifteen percent of the time because of something that was truly funny, while the rest of the time we laugh because those around us are laughing.”

~ ~ ~

“Which would you rather have? A thousand new followers, or one new genuine friend?”

5. Blessings and Disasters
A Story of Alabama
by Alexis Okeowo

I learned a lot of new things about my home state from journalist Alexis Okeowo. She writes about Alabama’s complex history on faith, race, politics, community, etc. As with most of America’s history, I walked away with a mixture of both shame and pride.

“The way Alabamians think about themselves is due in great part to the environment. All this abundance and its violent settlement—whoever has more force takes the spoils—have bred an entitlement to the land and a defiance to anything that is in the way.”

~ ~ ~

“Alabama has become known for the holidays it still chooses to recognize (three are in honor of the Confederacy) and those it continues to downplay (Martin Luther King Jr. Day is combined into a joint holiday with Robert E. Lee Day).”

(And just Monday we had our annual state holiday to commemorate Jefferson Davis’ birthday, the former president of the Confederate States. Really???)

~ ~ ~

“White people in the South have the most African ancestry of white people living anywhere in the country.”

6. Psychobabble
Viral Mental Health Myths & the Truths to Set You Free
by Joe Nucci

Fascinating! Joe Nucci is a psychotherapist who challenges a lot of the popular mental health advice that we see circulating on social media and everyday conversations. He writes this book for the layperson so it’s easy to understand.

“Myth #6: “Hurt People Hurt People”
Some hurt people hurt people, but many hurt people go out of their way to never hurt anyone, physically or emotionally. There are many reasons why people who do hurt others take those actions.”

FICTION

7. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain

It has been a few years since I’ve read this classic novel about Jim and Huck Finn as they travel on the Mississippi River seeking Jim’s freedom and a better life. With each reading, I see a little more of Twain’s criticism of racism and social hypocrisy. I read it for a book club I’m in. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make the meeting; I always get so much more out of a book through group discussions.

I bounced back and forth between reading and listening. I found the audiobook easier because I could hear the dialects spoken into of deciphering them from the page.

“Turn him loose! he ain’t no slave; he’s as free as any cretur that walks this earth!”

8. To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee

I reread this classic for another book club I’m in. I’d forgotten some of the key parts of the story about Scout and the Finch family so I was moved (again) at how Attitcus Finch confronted prejudice in their small Alabama town. And even though I knew what was going to happen in the end, I still cried (again) when it did.

I also swapped between reading and listening this book too (yay for public libraries!). The audio version was narrated by Sissy Spacek, who was phenomenal for every character!

“You’ve got everything to lose from this, Atticus. I mean everything.”
“Do you really think so?” This was Atticus’s dangerous question.
“Do you really think you want to move there, Scout?” Bam, bam, bam, and the checkerboard was swept clean of my men.
“Do you really think that, son? Then read this.”

WHAT I’M READING NOW

A Thousand Ways to Die
The True Cost of Violence on Black Life in America
by Trymaine Lee
I Belong to Me
A Survivor’s Guide to Recovery and Hope after Religious Trauma
by Tia Levings
Big Time
A Simple Path to Time Abundance
by Laura Vanderkam
Influence
The Psychology of Persuasion
by Robert B. Cialdini
Why Won’t You Apologize?
Healing Big Betrayals and Everyday Hurts
by Harriet Lerner
Anxiety Rx
by Russell Kennedy
The Deliverance of Hope
The Spiritual Discipline of Writing People on Death Row
by Wendy Ramage and Jeff Hood

Whatever you’re looking for in a book—practical wisdom, a deeper understanding of human nature, or simply a good story to enjoy—it’s sure to be out there somewhere. There are SO many books to choose from. I hope your latest stack brings you as much joy as my stack has brought me.

Have you read any of these books? Leave a comment with your thoughts—or tell me what book you recommend.

I’m sharing at these linkups

What’s Holding Me Together Right Now
—Share 4 Somethings May 2026

By LisaNotes May 29, 2026 Life updates 28 Comments

Here’s what I’ve been noticing this month: the support systems that help hold me together.

Sometimes that support is a device. Sometimes it is words, both written and spoken. And sometimes it is direct experiences with other human beings. I’m thankful for them all.

Each month I share favorite somethings from Jenn’s four categories. I also share my previous month’s One Second Everyday video.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

1. Something I Love

SIMPLE TIMER TO KEEP ME ON TRACK

I use the timer on my phone a lot. It helps free my brain from always having to keep up with time.

For the past few years, I’ve also found it extremely helpful to have a timer on my laptop as well. This one has proven to be perfect for me: Horo Timer.

It sits easily accessible in the menu bar and does one thing only: counts down time. I set the minutes I want and hit return. It dings when the time is up.

It’s basic, which may be why it works so well. I appreciate how it keeps me on track.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

2. Something Sustaining Me

FINDING PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTAND

In addition to our regular trusted friends, it’s also comforting to find a niche set of friends for a specific life stage or situation. Over the past year, I’ve found that in refreshing ways, mostly online, although some in person, too.

Most recently, I attended a retreat a few weeks ago with other moms where we heard keynotes from some of my favorite experts in their fields. It was informative and encouraging.

But what’s sustaining me most are the friendships that came out of that weekend and the ways we’re continuing to stay connected.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

3. Something Carrying Me Forward

LIBRARY BOOKS WAITING FOR ME

Books, books, and more books!

For a few years, I’ve been able to pay a small fee to access ebooks through the Nashville, TN, library system even though I live in Alabama. However, due to recent budget cuts, they ended that option for non-Davidson County residents. I understand why; ebooks are expensive for libraries to provide. Still, I’ll greatly miss having access to their much larger collection compared to my local library system.

Before my access ended this week, I loaded my Kindle with ebooks from Nashville, then switched it to airplane mode so the books would stay on my device until I finish reading them. So for now I’m still stocked with books I really want to read but couldn’t get anywhere else (for free, anyway).

I can’t imagine what I’d do without my Kindle and public libraries.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

4. Something I’m Making Space For

LEARNING FROM AND ALONGSIDE OTHERS

Almost a year ago, I signed up through a program to connect with an incarcerated pen pal. Since then, my pen pal and I have exchanged several letters and become friends.

It’s outside my comfort zone, but it’s important to me—not as an act of charity, but as a way of sharing common humanity with someone different from me for our mutual growth.

Recently, I’ve begun meeting in a Zoom group with other people on the outside who also have an incarcerated pen pal. I have much to learn from these more experienced writers because I’m still figuring things out as I go.

I’ve also been reading The Deliverance of Hope: The Spiritual Discipline of Writing People on Death Row by Jeff Hood and Wendy Ramage, who are facilitating the Zoom group. The book has already been so helpful.

Our care and support can come from the most unexpected places: a timer app, new friendships, a library full of books, and a Zoom room full of strangers writing letters.

Taken together—and along with many other things and friends—they help me keep going.

Who or what is supporting you this month? Share in the comments.

I’m linking at these blog parties

Is Your One Word Trying to Get Your Attention? Try This Photo Challenge
{One Word 2026 May Linkup}

By LisaNotes May 26, 2026 One Word Community, Shift: One Word 2026 12 Comments

What if your One Word has been trying to get your attention?

This month, you’re invited into a simple kind of noticing: become a One Word detective in your everyday life.

Instead of forcing anything, just pay attention to what’s already here—how your word might be showing up in ordinary moments, places, and interactions. Then, capture those glimpses as a photo, when possible.

You might start to see your word appear through:

people who cross your path
ordinary, everyday objects
small but meaningful moments
places you find yourself
unexpected little details

As you take photos, try to include yourself in at least one image—as a reminder that you are part of your word’s unfolding story, too.

My One Word Photos

Here are some beachy places I saw my word SHIFT last week.

It started Thursday night at a pretend beach for my grandson’s Pre-K graduation. He’s shifting from Pre-K to Kindergarten in the fall. (Too soon—I’m not ready for this shift.)

The next day, I shifted to the real beach with my husband.

On our daily walks on the beach, we had to shift our path several times to protect sea turtle nests and flightless chicks. (The “Bird Crossing” sign was a new one for me!)

I shifted from one book to the next all week. This quote below stood out to me. It’s a useful one now that I’m back home and might get jealous when I see others at the beach.

“The next time you find yourself envying those vacationers on social media, pause. Instead of following your gut reaction, take a moment to mentally wish them well. Observe how this small shift replaces the tightness of envy in your heart with warmth.”

Share Your One Word Update

Share your own One Word updates in the comments or add a One Word blog post in the linkup below. It will remain open until midnight, Tuesday, June 9.

You’re also welcome to share your photos in the One Word Facebook group throughout the month.

Looking ahead, the June linkup opens Friday, June 26.

The more we pay attention, the more our words seem to surface in ordinary and surprising places alike.

I’m looking forward to seeing where your word shows up this month—and where mine continues to show up, too.

Question for you:
Where have you seen your word lately (literally or metaphorically)? Share in the comments.

If you’d like to receive our monthly One Word emails and ideas for 2026, join here.

- Get more One Word ideas here

Link Up About Your One Word

Sometimes Courage Looks Very Small: A Small Shift at the Airport

By LisaNotes May 23, 2026 My stories, Shift: One Word 2026 27 Comments

Is She the Same Woman?

I’m at the airport in Reno on a Monday morning after a conference weekend at Lake Tahoe.

I think the woman at the next table eating breakfast before her flight is someone I met at the conference.

If it is her, we sat together Sunday morning on the short bus ride from our resort to watch the sunrise over Lake Tahoe with the other women attending.

I remember we had a lovely conversation sharing our circumstances and hopes for the future.

But I can’t remember her name. It had still been dark on the bus. And our conversation had only lasted about ten minutes.

Is this even her?

Maybe, maybe not.

I decide to let it go. I stay quiet. Because even if it is her, I don’t have to speak. We only met once, after all.

I eat a few more bites of my biscuit.

But the feeling keeps gnawing at me.

The Smallest Shift

Finally, I stand up. I walk over. I ask, “Were you at the conference last weekend at Lake Tahoe? I think we chatted together.”

And amazingly, she says yes!

It is the same woman.

She doesn’t remember my name either. (And honestly, I’m not sure she remembered much from our earlier conversation.)

But it doesn’t matter. We’re connecting now.

We spend a few minutes talking about our takeaways from the weekend, and before long, she asks if we can exchange contact information.

She tells me she’ll have very little support when she returns home.

I gladly give her my information and take hers.

This stranger now feels like a new friend.

Brave Doesn’t Always Look Big

I’m so glad I spoke up.

Ten minutes earlier, the decision had felt huge before I acted on it. My overthinking made it complicated. Awkward. Risky.

But it really only required a small shift: from sitting to walking. From silence to a question.

And because of that small shift, a new connection was formed. We’ve since emailed each other and will set up up a video chat soon.

More often than we realize, life offers us moments like these. Tiny invitations to move a little closer instead of pulling away. To risk being vulnerable instead of choosing safety.

Not every brave moment changes your life.

But sometimes it changes your day. And someone else’s too.

And sometimes, that’s all it takes to make a new friend.

My One Word of the Year is Shift. And my focus this month is on shifting relationships.

Who’s the newest friend who’ve made? Have any other relationships shifted lately?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

I Wonder If His Mama Still Wonders About Him

By LisaNotes May 19, 2026 My stories, Relationships 21 Comments

You see all kinds of people at the beach.

Families hauling coolers and umbrellas and babies. Teenagers tossing footballs. Retirees slowly walking at the edge of the water.

All kinds of humanity. Every age. Every energy level.

But one person I don’t normally see. And now I have.

He’s a man, maybe in his early thirties, strolling along with a guitar.

Not performing. Not singing. Just strumming. Sort of.

I’m not sure he knows how to play. He brushes the strings with confidence for a few moments, but the sounds aren’t quite harmonious.

Then he stops and stares at the water for a minute. Sometimes he steps toward the waves, then back away again, as if he’s negotiating with them.

I saw him again the next day.

Same clothes. Same wandering. Same guitar.

At one point I watched him point toward the ocean, almost like he was daring the waves to come closer. Then he lifted his hand as if to say, “Here and no farther.”

I don’t know his story. I don’t know whether he has people who check on him or wait for him to come home at night or worry when he doesn’t.

But I do know this: at one point, he had a mama.

Someone once carried him, fed him, watched him sleep, wondered who he would become.

And if she’s still alive—whether she’s still in his life or not—I imagine she still wonders sometimes where her boy is and how he’s doing.

Watching him on the beach, I’m wondering too.

And also aching in my heart, not only for him, but also for her.

I hope they’re both okay.

Have you ever seen a stranger and wondered about the people who love them?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

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