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Desired Things
“Silver-white winters that melt into springs These are a few of my favorite things” – My Favorite Things, Rodgers and Hammerstein Favorite things. Desired things. A heart’s desire. In 1927, Max Ehrmann wrote Desiderata (Latin: “desired things”) as a poetic call to action. Contrary to the implication of the title, these things were not things at all in the physical sense. Rather, it listed ways of thinking and living, perhaps even acts of faith, that enabled contentment. As we wait for this winter to (please) melt into spring, I wanted to explore the wisdom of the eight stanzas and nearly twice as many independent directives of Desiderata. It begins with…
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Contribution vs. Investment
There is an oft told fable about a chicken and a pig discussing a meal of ham and eggs. Full of ideas about the future, the chicken suggests they should open a restaurant together. The pig considers the idea with less enthusiasm and points out to the hen that, while she would be involved in the effort to purvey ham and eggs, the pig would be committed. This story is generally used to illustrate the differing levels of commitment people can have to a situation often with the intent of securing deeper commitment from the audience to a particular cause. However, in the context of a discussion about peace of mind, it becomes a cautionary tale. Involved vs.…
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Other Duties As Assigned
Life happens. Unless you own your own business, the details of your resume are subject to change without notice or permission. This is particularly true large organizations. Decisions are made that affect individuals’ lives without input of those that are impacted. Sometimes it’s referred to as a realignment of work (rather sterile). Other times, it’s the more generous “opportunity for development”. Regardless of how it’s packaged, apple carts are upended. We can go from being an expert to a novice with a mouse click. Our initial reaction is fear. We wonder how we will learn it all. Will we look foolish? Can we perform to the level that’s expected by others? By ourselves? Some of us are plagued with self-sufficiency. Like perfectionism, self-sufficiency is a deficit…
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Any Questions?
I’ll send an S.O.S. to the world I’ll send an S.O.S. to the world I hope that someone gets my I hope that someone gets my I hope that someone gets my Message in a bottle, yeah Message in a bottle, yeah – Sting It is easy to slip into the need for answers in our daily activities. After all, practically from birth we’re taught that all questions have answers. “Where’s your nose?” turns into “What sound does a cow make?” Before long, we are solving for Y and completing job applications. Our early experience can set an expectation that all questions have answers. And even more specifically, that each question…
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Come and Get It
The shared meal elevates eating from a mechanical process of fueling the body to a ritual of family and community, from mere animal biology to an act of culture. –Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto There is something remarkable that happens when people eat together. While we share our thoughts, feelings, and waffle fries, we connect. We become known to one another in a more intimate and familiar way. The fancy term for this is building social capital. It happens by degrees, running the gamut from a quick lunch in the corporate cafeteria to working shoulder to shoulder in grandmother’s kitchen at Thanksgiving. (The kitchen in every home…
