Motivational Speakers

Fio is an odd duck, as you may have realized, but she doesn't respond to motivational speakers, at least not the way she's supposed to.  Maybe it's because she resists following the crowd. Maybe it's because she has a fair amount of charisma herself, but she's suspicious of the speakers' motives.  Like the pastors of certain mega-churches, they usually preach that all things are possible if one just follows the path they outline, which always seems to involves a hefty financial investment.  And if the promises don't work out, it's because you didn't believe enough--or give enough money.

Buyer, beware--the emperor has no clothes

Blessed Silence

Fiorella needs her quiet time, when she's all alone with herself and can rush around the house doing whatever needs to be done or can sit on the sofa and write--or just contemplate the world.  She needs to have a mental rest time, when she doesn't have to talk or respond to an interlocutor.  She likes socializing, but sometimes the madding crowd gets to be too much.