-
Hypotenuse (or As the Crow Flies)
Hypotenuse – The side of a right triangle opposite the right angle. There is something in me that craves efficiency. Perhaps it’s a flavor of impatience. It says that if I am here and what I want is there, getting what I want should be as easy as traversing the distance from here to there–traveling the hypotenuse like the proverbial crow. The problem is…life isn’t straight lines and short cuts. Life is filled with crab walking, roundabouts, and waiting and seeing. When we think we know where we’re going, our circuitous routes feel like detours. When the destination is less certain, the path can feel like a perpetual aimlessness. We don’t fly like crows.…
-
Chaos Theory
Dr. Sattler, Dr. Grant, you’ve heard of the chaos theory? No? Non-linear equations? Strange attractions? — Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park Entering Barnes and Noble, beyond the familiar fragrance of Veranda Blend and 10′ tall NOOK display, you’ll notice a table of books aimed at helping their readers improve. Regardless of the scope of improvement, personal or professional, most of these books have one thing in common–they involve a plan. Building a home requires a blueprint. Running a project involves a work plan. As students, we were coached on the Five Ps–prior planning prevents poor performance. Having a plan gives us a roadmap for the eventual completion of complex or challenging activity…
-
Helpfulness
When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed. –Maya Angelou, author, poet, and civil rights activist I was preparing for a major presentation. There were people from my team that gave their time and talent. Three different mentors provided guidance. On the day of the presentation, several people texted me notes of good will. Not only did I feel prepared, I felt supported. The second scenario was a simple exchange. I met a friend at the coffee shop. After a few minutes, I noticed she wasn’t having anything. I later learned that in her hurry to leave her flat, she had forgotten her wallet. She chose not to ask to borrow the three dollars she needed. What happens when…
-
Giggles
You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. — Mae West I have a friend who advocates giggling (his word) daily. He’s always trying get people to smile and professes that the giggle is always there if you look for it. I’m inclined to agree. No matter how busy or important or sad our day is, there is always a laugh to be had somewhere. Laughter costs nothing and lifts our spirits. Some people like puns or word play. (A dyslexic walks into a bra…) Others, often below the age of ten, prefer the most nonsensical of all silliness the knock-knock joke. Regardless of our brand of humor, when laughter…
-
Fast. Slow. Colorful.
Time is an abstraction of eternity. A glimpse, for mortals, of what could be if we spend ours wisely in life. — Dean Cavanaugh The more desperately we want something to occur, the longer it seems to take. Time expands with our desire. We count the minutes waiting for the phone to ring, the storm to pass, or the plane to land. As though by clock watching, we can accelerate ourselves through uncomfortableness. Ironically, we often experience the opposite sensation. The more we focus on that we wish to avoid, the more present we are to it. Like the proverbial rough tooth that draws the tongue, the obsessive thought grows and eclipses the…
