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Be Light
A long December and there’s reason to believe that this year will be better than the last. — Counting Crows, A Long December It’s been a crazy month. December almost always is. Like a blanket of fresh snow, we overlay a winter wonderland a top of our already filled to the brim, year-end lives. I have a love/hate relationship with this month. Everything is wrapped in red and green, trimmed in peppermint sticks, and served with warm chocolate. I cherish the extra warmth and good cheer; enjoy the special foods we prepare; and am awed by the solitude of winter in the Midwest. I struggle with unrealistic expectations of myself and others.…
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Thank You Please
People will never forget how you made them feel — Maya Angelou There is a universal moment after a gift or favor has been bestowed upon a child that humans collectively pause for a few seconds, waiting for a tiny, sing-song “thank you” they hope will follow. Parents especially hope for this. The thank-you or its absence can feel like a reflection on them. What kind of parent are they? Have they raised a well-mannered child? And it goes beyond parents. On some level, we all hope to hear an expression of gratitude for a courtesy granted; it speaks to the dynamics of our larger human community. As people, we…
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Give A Little Bit
For it is in the giving that one receives. –St. Francis of Assisi It is difficult to be authentically generous and righteously entitled at the same time. It’s like trying to smile and frown simultaneously. You end up in this awkward grimace. Nothing much is accomplished. When I am feeling uncertain, the solution for me is to give. Give my time, my energy, my talent. Giving is the ultimate plot twist. It moves me from a scarcity mindset to abundance. Despair to hope. Groggy to focused. I am not a doctor, scientist, or mystic but I’ve participated in a number of real world “experiments” and the theory always holds true. Giving changes me. Nature abhors…
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Noblesse Oblige
Surely, you can’t mean me. There must be some mistake. In every tale of triumph, there is a moment when the protagonist doubts himself certain that he lacks the necessary talent, knowledge, or courage to meet the challenges that lie in his path. In a culture of pivoting thumbs, it is easy to slip into the habit of self-doubt. Whether externally messaged in a 1,000 different ways or simply as the verdict passed down through the court of our own perceptions, the certainty that there must be some mistake is the rally cry of all would-be heroes. It is also the prelude to greatness. Through the years, I have had…
