A story about love… Her name is Pinga. She’s an eleven-year-old penguin, who lives in the midwest part of the United Sates. His name is Teddy, he’s a fourteen-year-old dog of unknown breed, living in the same town, different households. Their presence makes a loving difference in the lives of two of my grandchildren. My wife and … [Read more…]
I think we all sing the blues – we just don’t want to make them our life’s songs. When I think of the blues I think of life’s dramas, not big dramas. The blues don’t deal with world problems – they deal with the problems associated with living in the world – and the daily … [Read more…]
I’m unable to recall a time when I’ve been so intensely and intuitively called to write words on a subject, while at the same time feeling deeply incapable of cogently expressing my thoughts on it. I feel confused. When those horrific, gut wrenching, mass killings occur that we nowadays label as terrorism, I am initially … [Read more…]
What makes easy choices easy, and hard choices hard? That’s easy. With easy choices, there exists disparity in the perceived value of the options. The greater the disparity, the easier the choice. The one with the greatest value wins. When I’m faced with tangible choices, such as chicken or fish, I generally choose chicken, because … [Read more…]
I typically work with clients to create short, intermediate and long-term goals. I do so because if we don’t know where we are going, we’ll never get there. However, I often find that some of the most common, and important goals are minimized or seen as obstacles. I hear comments such as, “I didn’t have … [Read more…]
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” Epicurus The preacher placed two identical, porcelain jars on the table next to the pulpit. “These jars came from the same factory, were made of the same materials, and … [Read more…]
“Often those that criticize others reveal what he himself lacks.” Shannon L. Alder If you were approached in a critical manner regarding your manner of dress. How would you react to a comment such as, “Whoa, where’d you get that, it looks terrible on you, not the right colors and that pattern has to go.” … [Read more…]
Every moment happens twice: inside and outside, and they are two different histories. Zadie Smith “I’m not very coordinated, so I’m not very good at things like this.” So stated a rather capable person at the beginning of an ice-breaker exercise known as a “ball toss.” It’s composed of two parallel lines of people who toss balls, … [Read more…]
The winter season is providing us with a lesson we must heed. The area of Northern Illinois in which I reside, stands in winter’s hard and icy grip. Most of the vegetation appears lifeless. The trees are bare, the grass is brown, the ground is frozen, no apparent growth is occurring. To most plant-life, winter is … [Read more…]
What are you planting today to harvest tomorrow? Lailah Gifty Akita Let’s ask ourselves, “What am I harvesting in my life? What do I regularly experience? Am I harvesting satisfaction, accomplishment, success, peace of mind, happiness, prosperity? Or, am I harvesting (experiencing) difficulty, challenge, stress, busyness, ill-health?” It’s quite likely that we’re experiencing a desirable harvest in some areas of our … [Read more…]