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Odd Gratitudes
A friend and I took a walk last week. Dutifully, we maintained a six-foot distance. Neither of us have COVID…that we know of. But that’s the thing, right? Nobody really knows from one day to the next. With or without shelter in place orders, our limbic cortexes (lizard brains) stay on high alert through endless rounds of hand scrubbing. It seems counter-intuitive to suggest that we might be grateful in the time of a prolonged, global crisis. And yet it is there. Hidden in our optimistic choices that reflect and promote joy. For example, how many people do you know who have adopted a pet in the last five months?…
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Unchanging Fortunes
Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. — Max Ehrmann, The Desiderata When I first read this, I thought it was a little strange that we needed reminding to keep interested in our careers. I mean for most people, myself included, it takes a bit of reminding to prevent us from thinking about ourselves. As my friend Dan once joked, “I’m not much but I’m all I think about!” But looking more carefully at what Max wrote, perhaps it was intended as a warning. Perhaps he recognized that comparison is the instigator of discontent. Instead of worrying about…
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Look, There I Am Again
“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” –C.S. Lewis I recently got to spend quality time with an old friend. Close when we were in college, we have been out of touch in the interval since. As we shared memories, she recounted something that had happened between us years ago. I was surprised at the similarity in my emotional reaction to events that occurred then as compared to those in my life today. My unthinking responses were consistent. I recognized the familiar internal narrative. Was it possible that remnants of the beliefs that drove my bus in my twenties linger still? Yup.…
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Different for a Reason
In a niche of a larger industry, Joe built a tribe. He stepped out of the safety of the familiar, a tried and true model of converting asset donations to a nonprofit’s bottom line, and grew a company based on his passion for innovation. He doesn’t sell a product although he has one. Instead, Joe sells an idea about how to do things differently. As an adolescent, Morgan witnessed first hand the impacts of mental illness. She developed a tremendous capacity for empathy and justice. After working in a substance abuse treatment center and at a school for children with behavior disorders, she pursued nursing and became an acute care RN. Morgan…
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In-Between Days
There are times when our days feel like they are all the same. Moments move past our consciousness without leaving an impression, one blending deftly into the next. They pale in comparison to the glamour of birthdays, death days, or the days a truth is revealed and changes you forever. Yet it is the in-between days that bind our lives together like a humble cement. It is on these days that we are afforded the time to practice, rest, and wait. We practice new skills, test our theories, and hone our existing talents. In-between days are made for rough drafts, sloppy copies, and trial runs. They give us time to rest. A moment to catch our breath…relax, exhale, and sit back. Resting…
