There is a pond in the forest, deep enough for several fish. The fish are swimming around the perimeter of the pond. Around and around, always moving but never going anywhere.
Unbeknownst to the pond fish, there is a stream nearby. Playful rapids sloshing and swirling as the crystal water murmurs ever downstream.
Suddenly a fish leaps out of the river and into the pond. The pond fish are so Continue reading “Pond Fish River Fish”
I’ve written before how the past can hurt. Each of us is evolving and changing, and hopefully we are growing. Still, our past actions have the power to create new suffering today for ourselves and those we love.
An old action of mine that I had eradicated from memory recently Continue reading “Freedom From Our Past”
I looked at the Actuarial Tables and noticed the life expectancy for someone my age who was born when I was born is, on average, 76.7 years, or 30.7 years from now. That’s 11,205 days. Now, there’s a reasonable chance that I will live longer than that. I’m in good health, etc., but it’s sobering to think of those 11,205 days. What if I were to write a little countdown program that Continue reading “11,205”
Skiers and snowboarders know when you’re blazing down the mountain, where you look is where you’ll go. If you focus on the trees, you’re more likely to hit one. Focus on the space between the trees and that’s where your body will point the ski tips, and that’s where you will go. Bicyclists and Continue reading “Look Between the Potholes”
Some people take their storage spaces to extremes with ultra organized garages and intensely clean workshops. I respect the attention to detail, and it’s valuable to have every tool visible so it’s easy to spot when something is missing. Alas, I do not have the motivation for this level of order in my Continue reading “Basically Organized”
When my daughter was about 7 years old I told her something along the lines, “You don’t need to grow up too fast, okay?”
After she turned 10 I found out she wasn’t enjoying her birthdays. She had it in her mind that as she grew older I might start loving her less, either Continue reading “Careful What You Say”
Does it ever feel like the universe is speaking to you? Tomorrow I have a stressful all-day meeting. Due to circumstances I’m less prepared than I would normally be; for sure less prepared than I want to be. I’ll have to think on the fly among a group of peers and superiors who will see through bullshit. So it’s just what I have in my brain.
Is what’s in my brain enough? Do I know the material as well as I should? If Continue reading “Better Than You Think”
I have a love-hate relationship with my dog. We adopted Max about a year and a half ago through Summit Dog Rescue. (A great organization, very thorough, laser focused on making great matches.) Max came to us all the way from central America – he was a street dog in Cancun, Mexico. At 2 or 3 years of age before he was rescued by some ex-pats, he developed several deeply-ingrained street survival Continue reading “Accepting Max”
My former boss, mentor, and friend, Keith Dietzen, once shared with me a nugget he learned from his mentor, Tom Fitzmyers, now-retired CEO of the profitable publicly traded company Simpson Strong-tie. “What’s your secret to running such a successful business for so long, Tom?” Keith asked. Tom’s response: “Do business with nice people.”
My father is a master carpenter and he raised a family of hands-on kids. Some of us, like both my brothers, actively use their hands-on problem solving skills every single day in their chosen professions. They are awesome to watch. Others of us, like me, enjoy working with tools and Continue reading “There’s Heat In That Wood”
When debating, there is constant back-and-forth. The robust exchange of ideas naturally triggers our passions. Emotional responses are expected and perhaps are even required for highly productive debate. However, there is a point when debate devolves into bickering or arguing – there is an element Continue reading “When Debating, Choose Kindness”
Here’s one of the delights of parenthood. It’s late on a Sunday evening with my son and my daughter. Showers are being taken, lunches packed, teeth brushed. I’ve been nursing anxious feelings about the work week ahead for much of the afternoon – mostly successfully holding them at bay to stay Continue reading “One Breath Around The World”
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