One of the earliest teachings my children learned centered on the practice of making good choices. As toddlers, picking out the movie to watch before bedtime or choosing the tastiest snack to pack away for school never required much debate. However, as they grew older, good decision-making became far more complex as the world around them unfolded a menu of different choices to accompany each new scenario. Soon enough, they were setting their own goals, shaping discipline into the art of study habits, making friends, and finding a unique way to bring “good” into the world. Along this journey, I put my heart into teaching them “how” to think and wisely discern without determining the outcome itself. Ultimately, it was their choice to make and abide by. The bigger the decision, the more time we spent thinking through the impact of possible moves like in the game of chess…
Life can unexpectedly drop a mystery into your day. One such situation took me by surprise on an early summer morning. Sticking to my usual routine, I was gearing up for the work day while sipping an extra hot cup of coffee. Suddenly, I heard a noise coming from outside the house. It was a fast, bumpy sound, like the clangor sneakers make tumbling in the dryer. With a few loud planes also flying overhead, I didn’t give it too much thought. Not long after I returned to my steaming cup, the strange sound returned. It was louder this time. While I am no Sherlock Holmes in the making, I sheepishly went outside to investigate, but found nothing suspicious. All was well. So with greater intention, I made my way back inside to finish breakfast. However, before reaching the kitchen table, I distinctly heard the muffling noise loud and…
It is far easier to name obstacles that hinder the craft of writing than it is to make a quick case for getting words down on the page. Writers are persistently challenged by the sheer lack of time, a steady stream of distractions and staying motivated to keep working at the craft like clockwork. Moreover, the inspiration that tanks up the desire to write often dwindles when striving to really spot where the time invested is making a difference. Like salmon rushing upstream against the current, aspiring writers know they face stacked odds at being discovered any time soon. Building even a small readership today is quite difficult when keeping company with 32.7 million other bloggers in the United States alone, not to mention the 600 million blogs already established worldwide. Yes, the world is certainly a big place bent on pressing every nose against the tantalizing scent blazed…
Thinking about the summer activities still left to do? Summer-ween will be here in a wink of an eye! It comes when summer peaks its hottest temperature during the latter half of July. Thinking about that first cool breeze arriving on a crisp autumnal morning is refreshing. As August now beckons, it is a good idea to think about the summer activities that are still left to do. Now is the time to inspire well-being and personal fulfillment. Summer Activities Still To-Do Checklist: 1. Sprout New Ways to Grow Yourself. Summer surrounds us with everything green and beautiful. We happily spend time tending the garden, growing vegetables and planting flowers. However, devoting time to grow your capacity to “grow” from within is so important to personal fulfillment. As the world is always changing, seek ways to expand how you think about your life and the relationships that…
If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen the video where I share my special editions of the whimsical classic “Alice in Wonderland.” The idea that a world with magical characters could be at my finger tips through a rabbit hole brings the splendor of an encountered imagination. I certainly felt a warm kinship with Alice when she said “When I get home I shall write a book about this place.” Thankfully, that book was gifted through the wonderful creativity of Lewis Carroll. Recently, I came across this beautiful life-size statue of Alice Through the Looking Glass constructed by Jeanne Argent, and displayed on the Guildford Castle grounds located in Surry, UK. The figure was sculpted as a memorial to Carroll who lived nearby in the Chestnuts until he died in 1898. The statue beautifully captures Alice leaving one world and entering another. She is feeling…
