Category Archives: Reflections

Each interaction we have with people opens a metaphorical circle. Simple interactions, like those we have passing a stranger on the street, cause the circles to open and close quickly without much work on our parts. But those interactions we have with people in which something significant takes place create larger circles with larger openings.Continue reading “The Value of Doing Something Kind For Someone Who Has Helped Us”

I’ve always wanted my students to recognize that their actions have impact. One way I help them visualize this is to consider humanity as a chain and each individual person as a link. Try it with me. When your link on the chain performs an action, be it a kind or an unkind one, aContinue reading “Your Kind Smile Can Literally Change Someone’s Day”

What do you do with your “free” time? Or, perhaps more apt, do you give yourself any time that is free, time during which nothing has been planned, time that is okay to spend lost in thought, time in which your creativity rises to the surface, time during the day in which you allow yourselfContinue reading “The Difference Between Plodding Along in Life or Moving Closer to Reaching Your Full Potential”

A couple of years ago, I was interviewed for an online publication called the Excellence Reporter. Interestingly, the interview consisted of one question and I was provided the opportunity to write my answer. The question: What is the meaning of life? I wrote the following… I think the MEANING of life is self-evident when weContinue reading “What is the Meaning of Life?”

It’s become a bit cliché but the sentiment is still apt. You know, when you’re on an airplane in preparation for taking off, the flight attendants run through a series of safety instructions. Amid the lessons on how to fasten your seat belt and how your seat cushion doubles as a flotation device, they tellContinue reading “Put On Your Own Air Mask Before Helping Others”

“True generosity is guided by awareness.” — Piero Ferrucci I come from a family of “collectors.” For me, my main collection was hockey cards. You know, those rectangular pieces of cardboard that used to get packaged with a piece of gum and sold at the counters of grocery stores and drugstores? Baseball cards are muchContinue reading “Give Away Something That You Value”

As the pandemic stretches and challenges us, one way to provide yourself some focused relief is to reach out to support others. Knowing you have needs, seek to recognize this in others. Then, with this in mind, try this exercise that is intended to be of benefit to someone else AND you (and can actuallyContinue reading “Do Something Kind For a Friend (in Need)”

As we continue to navigate the unknowns of the pandemic, one thing that is clear is the increased isolation many people are feeling. We’ve been not only isolated from people, including members of our families and our closest friends, we’ve also been isolated from our routines. For instance, many of us rely on simply beingContinue reading “Reduce Isolation”

“My magic words have turned out to be ‘I don’t know.’” – Rachel Naomi Remen This quote ends Remen’s introduction to the last section of her book, “Kitchen Table Wisdom,” what she titled “Mystery & Awe.” I love this quote and I loved this section of the book when I read it several years ago.Continue reading “Mulling the Concepts of Mystery and Mastery”

For just a minute, imagine a solitary child on a playground at a school during recess not being allowed to join a game he very much would like to play. The other children are not being mindfully mean, they are just enjoying their game as it was created and they think that adding another playerContinue reading “Everyone Can Play”