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Gimme a C…or Two
“So I turned myself to face meBut I’ve never caught a glimpse”–David Bowie, Changes In the last month, I completed the final exam in a multi-part certification, a new school year started for the kids, and graduate school began for me. Add to that, the first week of the month I was on the road, and this week I learned of an unexpected job change. Changes. While some of these events were a surprise, most of them were planned, and I was challenged by a gauntlet of activity. Nothing unique here. Everyone is busy. The question is how to stay true to ourselves in the face of wearisome circumstances? There…
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A Year in a Word
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Whether you were Snapchatting at midnight from Times Square or at home stacking zzz’s, 2016 came to a close this weekend. Without question, this past year was one for the books–heartbreaking, unpredictable, and miraculous at turns. Trying to describe the year in just a few words is difficult. Fortunately or wistfully, the calendar has turned for all of us. Instead of looking backwards, we turn our attention to the future. While there is no way to fully anticipate what this next year will bring to our doorsteps, we can make a decision right now about how we will respond each day that it arrives. As always, we can choose…
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So Routine
Sometimes ideas that seem good turn out to be…well…less than good. Now before you jump to conclusions, this is a story of my human nature not a tale of tragedy. I had the opportunity to work from home recently. The weather was beautiful. Blue skies, the lingering warmth of summer, and quietly falling leaves. What could be better than sitting in view of my kitchen window to plow through an inbox that had gotten out of hand? No workout that morning because I hadn’t slept well. Since I had no one to impress but the dog, I didn’t shower right away either. After all, my schedule was flexible. By the time I went to gather…
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Bigger Than The Rules
“Don’t you know who I am?” Thinks everyone. I’ll be honest. There are times when I think I am bigger than the rules. It can happen in all sorts of ways, but generally, it is when following (what I have deemed is) an insignificant rule takes more effort than not. I am not talking about capital S sins, more like moral misdemeanors. Parking in a fire lane while picking up a pizza or occasionally bringing my own Jujyfruits to a movie. I am not particularly proud of this…nor am I alone in it. Most of us like to believe that rules are made for other people. Sure, there is the possibility of larger,…
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Must-Do List
Over the weekend, a friend of mine mentioned that he had sat out a recent company fire drill by slipping into the men’s room as the rest of his peers paraded out. He worked email on his laptop until they returned. He’s retiring and, as a short-timer, just didn’t feel like participating in what was probably his 50th career fire drill. In high school, we called it senioritis; symptoms included laziness, fashion negligence, and a generally dismissive attitude. This time of year seems to awaken this mindset in people regardless of whether they have a scholastic affiliation or not. There’s a certain indolence common to the onset of vacation season that seems to…
