Every neighborhood has its pests. Whether mosquitoes, mice, wasps, snakes, or centipedes, pestilence is a nuisance. We once lived in a neighborhood beset with rats. Despite our great fondness for Mrs. Frisby and her NIMH friends, we are not rat fans. Scratching in the attic is the opposite of a soothing seaside breeze. When we […]
Category: relationships
Seeking guidance is like learning to sail.
Discerning the way of wisdom is a learned practice that begins with humility. Seeking a mentor. Sitting in the passenger seat. Asking questions of those who know more than we do. Humble pie is sweeter than a bowl of struggle, so it’s prudent to seek counsel when we need it. Guidance1 is better than guessing. […]
The sprockets of life.
If life were a bike ride, the sprockets would serve its many seasons. Certain sprockets require strenuous effort, yet when we push hard, we gain distance. Others are uselessly easy when not needed, but they allow us to climb the uphill side of life’s Wolf Creek Passes without giving up. Sprockets also reflect the type […]
Who will you thank when you look back on today?
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 […]
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 […]