Blink. Screech. Slam. Where am I? What happened? It was over before I knew it started. Headed to the store. Or was it work. I don’t remember. Where was I going? Where am I?Kids in the car? No. Good. Everything, slow motion. Dream-like. Puffy latex balloon pressing against my chest. Puff of smoke from the explosion makes me nauseous. Or was it the impact? Or my breakfast? Sharp shards of glass in my hair. Fingers. Check. Toes. Check. Salty taste... Read more
It had been a long day. Deadlines. A demanding boss. Angry phone calls. And the minute I came home, everyone tensed up. They knew something was wrong. At the first cross word out of my mouth, everyone scattered, suddenly finding “urgent” things to do in other rooms. Photo by David Rupert Those who know me see both sides of this passionate personality. I can be a load of fun when I’m on, and a real drag when I’m off-center. But there’s really... Read more
The drama of the 33 Chilean miners trapped last fall was riveting. Imagine the moment when the last battery pack went dead, draining the last remnants of hope. Desperation, anguish and anxiety hung in the dank air. It took more than two weeks, but rescuers punched a small hole into the cavern, and the men were eventually pulled out one-by-one. One miner, who at 63 was the eldest of the survivors, passed on this bit of wisdom to his grandchildren: “Never... Read more
Last week I wrote about the writer’s dilemma. In summary, we dance this line between writing what’s on our heart and writing what someone will read. I concluded in the piece that we should just write for an “Audience of One” and ignore the applause, dismiss the comments, and not listen to the praise.This principle, I thought, could be applied to preachers and teachers, singers and poets, sculptors and dancers. It could apply to housework, homework or yardwork. The feedback I... Read more
“This breakfast is depressing,” I thought. A number of my friends and I were recently talking. Most of them unemployed. They’ve been for many months. A few have been searching for more than a year. The talk was about fruitless interviews, endless applications and useless job fairs. There is pain — and failure — in their eyes. They’re all my age, stuck in the middle of life, feeling a little lost. Their career path is irrelevant in the modern economy. Their training is out... Read more
Linguists have tapped “App” as the word of the year. If you own a smart phone, you already know that “app” stands for “application.” Sold as an add-ons for cell phones, apps serve as shortcuts to all kinds of things you never knew you needed. You can point your phone at the heavens and it will tell what star cluster you are viewing. You can have your phone listen to the radio and it will tell you what the name of... Read more
This time of year, most of us have a few goals in mind. And why not? There’s no time like now to reassess our financial, career, family and spiritual direction. I have a few myself. I’ve written them down with some steps to get to each of them. There’s much to be said for having some structure to help catapult me toward a destination. Bradley Moore at Shrinking the Camel wrote a challenging post calling “Are you planning to grow?” ... Read more
Image by usag.yongsan via Flickr Blood. Sweat. Tears. I really wish I could say it would be easier, but losing weight, deepening my spiritual walk and improving my relationships are all going to require some sacrifice. And as my doctor said during my “procedure,” — “You might feel a little pressure.” That’s the nature of discipline. It hurts for a while, but the long-term benefits outweigh the temporal discomfort. (Still I ask, “Can’t I just buy an app for this stuff?”) Larry Hehn’s... Read more
Love. I guess I have always known about it. Cradled in my mothers arms, she whispered it to me. And I sensed it as I was consoled by my father, telling me that the bully’s words didn’t matter. I heard it when Nana reminded me I was important to her. And it might have pricked a tiny hole in heart as I watched Jill ride by on her bicycle and I wondered what it would be like to talk to... Read more
I’m a regular reader of “Live with Flair,” the creative outlet for educator and communicator Heather Goodman. She’s a great writer and has sharp instincts into the world around her. I really liked her most recent post, “Make Yourself That Somebody.” She caught herself complaining about a safety issue on a public sidewalk. When she said out loud, “Somebody should really fix it..”, she began to question just who “somebody” is! And she concludes that we are that “somebody.” I find myself... Read more
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