Radical Gratitude

Thanks to the writings and teachings of so many light workers, from ancient sages and saints of old to contemporary preachers and New Age practitioners, we are inundated with reminders of how vital and transforming it is to have an attitude of gratitude about life.  There are journals in which we can document the things…

Burn The Books

That’s a pretty drastic statement, right?   Burn the books.  Well, it’s not shades of Fahrenheit 451, the dystopian novel and film about the slow substitution of reading literature for the sound bites and factoids of television.  In the world created by acclaimed science fiction writer Ray Bradbury, and reimagined by director Francois Truffaut, reading was…

Are You Loving Your Work?

Last year, as Journey Agent for a series of national live events, I began every event with a quote by 19th century Lebanese poet and philosopher, Khalil Gibran from his book, The Prophet,   published in 1923.   The chapter I read at each event began with the words, “Then the plowman said, ‘Speak to us of…

The Lesson Of The Turkish Rug

A couple of years ago, my daughter and I took a spring break cruise of the Greek Isles with a group of parents and children from the United Nations School.  It was 8 days and nights of visiting strolling around Athens, followed by sailing to ancient ruins on several islands in chilly weather on choppy…

Well Made

Think of all the people we assume misbehave.   Toddlers and children misbehave.  The very definition of the word teenager is misbehavior.   In-laws are big misbehavers.  So are old people.  They’re downright crotchety.  Look at how husbands are portrayed in sitcoms – they’re clueless and misbehavers.   And let’s not even go there about bosses.  If you’re…

No To Them

Awhile back, on the subway, I ran into a former colleague from my Sony Music days.  It was good to see her again, and we spent the next few stops chatting about what we’d been doing lately.  We’d last seen each other a few years before at the “Farewell to All That” going away soiree…

Grace Under Fire

When we hear that expression, “grace under fire” it evokes images of resiliency, the ability to withstand extreme stress while remaining calm.   In fact, “Never let ‘em see you sweat“was the tagline of a popular TV commercial.    The underlying thought was to avoid demanding or strained situations at all costs.  And then, when you can’t…

The Right Mistakes

If there is one thing we try to avoid at all costs its failure.  Messing up and looking bad is the worst combination in the world, second only to being loud and wrong.  That’s unfortunate, because failing is one of life’s most potent gifts. Remember, when we succeed, we tend to celebrate and when we…

The 4Hs

If you live in one of what we coastal big city elitists call the flyover states, then you are probably intimately familiar with the 4H Clubs.  All I know about them is what I’ve seen in movies having something to do with young people raising farm animals and leading a wholesome, countrified outdoorsy kinda life. …