I can still see the surgeon, dressed in his operating scrubs, as he told us about the steps he used to repair our child’s walnut sized heart. Thirteen years later, I asked my son if he would like to have the scar hidden with some type of cosmetic treatment. “No Dad! Chicks dig scars!” was his immediate reply. Thirty years later, I’m still inspired by how wise and enduring those words were. We all have scars. There’s a vast variety of them in our lives. Some are physical and some emotional. They can be self-inflicted, other-inflicted, or purely accidental.
Principles
Sage – Not Age
There’s a shameful struggle going on. The struggle is Ageism. On both sides of the equation. Age discrimination will stop happening when we, as a culture, start to understand how wisdom can come at every age.
Minimalism in Moderation
Like many, I often think about downsizing. Living in less space and with less stuff would be good for me – and our planet. Then I think about what to keep and what to step away from. Recognizing I needed professional advice on how to minimize, and with less pain, I asked a new friend if we could have coffee. Loyd Dillon is an interior design professional with an outstanding reputation, so he would know.
Starting Early For New Year’s
Annual rituals are important and need more thought-time than a few quick hours between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. More planning produces better results. So I’m making the choice to join author Pat Conroy and create a new tradition – a tradition of using a few of my long summer evenings to reflect back on my last New Year’s resolution and start planning for the next.
There’s Magic When The Light Comes On
Checking off the steps in a manual is following, not leading. Often, it’s attitude, more than aptitude, that determines altitude. I have learned that only when we are put in a position to fail, can we truly succeed. I didn’t learn those buzz phrases from any sales seminar, but from my years working in sales and sales management …
Fast Pay Makes Fast Friends
Do you pay your bills on time as they arrive, before they’re even due, or do you wait until the last minute, maybe longer? How about the people who pay you, your clients or employer? Does that money arrive on time, or do you often need to wait – even needing to chase down your pay check? As a small business owner, I lived every emotion. To understand what fast payment can do for a relationship, on both sides, follow me on my Saturday morning routine in the mid 1980’s.
Making Confession Painful
Most faith traditions use confession as a way to acknowledge shortcomings and seek forgiveness. That’s good, but lately I’ve wondered if this group confession, with its community language, isn’t getting in the way of my personal transformation. In short, does the first person plural or “we” language serve as a tweed coat in hiding the problem from my personal, singular, responsibility …
Loving People … Using Things
I smiled as I opened the email from Joshua and Ryan, the title had offered an instant memory jolt: “Love People. Use Things. The Opposite Never Works.” This took me back to the late ’80s when our son was in high school. I had just gotten a new car, a Plymouth Caravelle. It was relatively plain except for one important accessory. It boasted the latest in cutting edge technology. A phone …
Finding The Perfect Home
My mother collected many things her trips to Florida, including two prints. For years, they sat in a dark storage cabinet in my home. Now they are back home in Florida, back out in the sunshine. I’m sure they will be comfortable there. Now, in their new home, people will look at them and they’ll look back, pleased. I want that for everyone, even my things ..
A Lawn Chair and Six-Pack in the Age of Trump
Few people know Yellowstone country better than wildlife biologist Jeremy Schmidt. Jeremy has spent more than 30 years in the area, working as a winter keeper, park ranger, naturalist, photographer, and author. I asked Jeremy what he would do if he knew it was about to erupt – to blow. Jeremy’s response lingers, “Bruce, I’d set up my lawn chair, grab a six-pack, and enjoy the fireworks …