Some day, we’ll look back on today with more perspective than we now possess. The good news is, it doesn’t take years or trials to gain perspective. We can glean much from those we know — and especially from our elders. By going through old photos together. Or asking Grandma what she learned about life […]
Category: relationships
What work isn’t.
When I was nine, my father built a giant sieve to separate stones from the soil. He wanted a lawn back where the yard was still piles of rubble from a construction project. At dinner that night he asked me to help him shovel one of the piles through the sieve. At nine, my idea […]
7 things I learned about community from a Louis L’Amour Western.
Ninety people in a theatre aren’t a community — they’re strangers sharing an experience. The same is true for passengers on a plane or shoppers in a store. Community is the product of shared ownership and a commitment to the common good. There are many good books on developing community, but the best portrayal I’ve […]
The value of valuable.
Gemstones fluctuate in value. A breathtaking engagement ring with a large diamond was worth more before synthetic diamonds entered the market. Its significance endures, but it no longer costs two months of wages. Even food, which is essential to life, is devalued by abundance. When we have more than enough, we discard it. If value […]
What’s up with people like that?
Tucked in a nice neighborhood of lush lawns, mature trees, and trimmed shrubbery, there’s one home that’s gone wild. An unkempt lawn, a rotting shed, a rusted swing set with one bent leg, and all the leaves and twigs from last year’s major storm. It looks abandoned. You ride by thinking, even if they don’t care […]