On one of my social media feeds, a man I’ve met only briefly but who I hold in high regard posted (paraphrased): “In a cosmic sense, man isn’t far above the cockroach and we might do well to remember that.” Another comment was made that there is a distinct difference between those who recognize that…
According to Fox5 New York in this article, Vermont State Senator John Rodgers (D) has submitted a bill that would prohibit anyone under 21 from using a cellphone. According to the bill, those under 21 would be prohibited from possessing, owning or using a cellphone under penalty of up to one year in jail, a…
Ah, it’s that time of year. For the past week people have been building up to and celebrating Christmas. For the next week some folks regret all that they’ve eaten, losing another year of not improving themselves the way they’d like to have, and generally making false promises to themselves (called resolutions) that they swear…
I came across this “comfort zone” diagram in my social media feeds and wish I could find out who to attribute it to. I had to stop and study it for a moment, considering what it displays and whether or not I agree with it. Thinking back across my own life, could I think of…
I was just looking at what is probably one of my favorite photos from recent years: it’s a picture taken at Disney World while my wife, son and I were on the Tower of Terror ride. In the photo, captured by the ride’s camera during the lifts and drops, my son and I are both…
A great many people believe that motivation and discipline are the same things. In reality they are drastically different. Motivation is something you feel; discipline is a skill… it’s learned. Those folks who believe that discipline is an automatic follow-on to motivation as it wains need to learn the difference.
I have had several friends make fun of me for my outlook on sleeping. As much as I enjoy it when I’m exhausted, I also resent it. No matter how long I (you) live, if sleep consumes six to eight hours per night, 25%-33% of a life is spent sleeping. That’s time that can never…
In today’s society we all-too-often here members of various generations criticizing each other. Baby Boomers will call Millennials “pansycakes” or “snowflakes.” Millennials will say that Boomers and Generation Xers are too harsh, unempathetic or cold hearted. The reality is that from the different perspectives, it may all be true. The question then becomes, “What is…
As I type this entry it’s “Black Friday” 2019. One of the best memes I’ve seen recently is the one that points out how so many people rush out on Black Friday to buy stuff they don’t even need on the day after they’re supposed to be thankful for all their blessings. Now, admittedly, some…
As I sit to type out this year’s Thanksgiving entry it occurs to me that I would never have considered doing such in my younger years. I don’t know if this is a sign that I appreciate life more in my maturity or if my focus on what’s of value has changed. Back in my…
As with so many things I see each day, this was brought to my attention via a post on social media: 15 leadership lessons from General Mattis – call sign Chaos. I’m going to list all 15 but only comment on a few. They are the ones that are applicable far beyond military leadership; the…
Somehow, somewhere along the way, we as a society seem to have come to the belief that every person perceives every experience in the same way. The fact of individual experience, individual knowledge, individual background, individual resilience… these things all seem to be dismissed in favor of the belief that if X happens to little…
I just recently saw a quote about nothing being in the middle of the road except for double yellow lines and roadkill. My first thought was that you usually don’t see roadkill in the middle of the road but in the travel lanes instead. The double yellow lines are what separates traffic going in different…
Just last evening I was conversing with a friend of mine who commented on my (bad?) habit of posting photos to my Facebook page when I’m working “in my outside office.” I have a gazebo attached to my rear deck that enjoys views of the surrounding trees, sometimes the lake across the street and quite…
I know that we all have heard these three rules before, but it seems like every time they pop up in my social media feeds or they get referred to by someone I know… I’m reminded of different parts of my life and when I learned these lessons. It’s interesting (to me) to see where…
“Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you…
Hardly a day goes by that I don’t speak with someone who is trying to figure out how to make it through the day. Now, keep in mind, most of them are exaggerating when they say they don’t know how they’re going to make it. What they really mean is that they are tired –…
Somewhere in my house (and I know exactly where) there are a series of notebooks full of my journal. Some of those entries date back to when I was as young as twelve years old. I refer to this collection of writings as a “journal” and not a diary, quite honestly, because in my adolescent…
When I was in my teenage years, I remember my father, almost every night, sitting on his bed, just staring into space… or at least, that’s what I thought. When I asked him about it one day he told me he was meditating. When I asked why and what about he told me that he…
In almost every culture, on every continent, in every language and throughout history you can find references to trilogies. I don’t mean the three-book novel stories that have become so prevalent in today’s entertainment world. I am referring to more meaningful trilogies such as…