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Quiet and Clear
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. — Max Ehrmann, The Desiderata Everyone has a story. Some are beautiful; some are funny. Some are painful and even tragic. Most life stories contain all of these elements in their turn. As humans, we are storytellers. It’s how we inform one another about who we are and who we want to be. Inherent in the creation of our narrative comes the need for it to be heard. From PhDs to Pinterest, the world is full of references to our need for attention, approval, acceptance, allowing, and affection. Acknowledgement is my…
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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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Invictus Investing
“Your efforts are paying fantastic dividends.” He said it as he walked from the bakery to his car a white paper bag clutched in his left hand. I had been running almost three miles by then, only half-present to the familiar landmarks of my daily route, and he caught me by surprise. That time of morning, most people aren’t out and about. Even fewer are chatty. He was heavy-set. Ambling more than walking. And his tone made it unclear if his comment was as much a compliment to me as it was a condemnation of himself. The thought kept the words with me the rest of the way home…efforts…dividends. I…
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Kaleidoscope
“Art is a lie that makes us realize truth.” – Pablo Picasso, 1923 A person is a kaleidoscope. Bits of gold and rose sliding across flecks of indigo and green–each going in and out of our view in turn. At times, some parts of people are so well hidden, it’s as though they don’t exist. Then another twist, the view shifts, and they reappear. Beckoned forth. Generosity, fear, compassion…plink, plink, plink…selfishness, curiosity, jealousy…plink, plink, plink. Unlike a kaleidoscope; however, people grow and change…or atrophy and change. Regardless of the means, we change. Some change is evolutionary like the unconscious change in our gait from a long-healed injury. Some change is revolutionary like…
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The Matter of Motives
Living with others, there are hundreds of opportunities daily to be of service to someone else. I was reminded of this recently when I saw my neighbor running awkwardly behind her young son as he bravely joined the world of cycling without training wheels. We peel carrots for lunch bags that aren’t ours. Walk dogs and fill gas tanks that aren’t ours. Why? Somebody’s got to do it, right? Like mowing the yard. Or because it just needs to be done–like the laundry needing to be washed. Perhaps it is because people deserve to be honored. Even in simple ways. Consider that something as seemingly impersonal as shoveling snow or doing yard work has…
