Category Archives: Reflections

“Ultimate relies upon a spirit of sportsmanship that places the responsibility for fair play on the player. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of mutual respect among competitors, adherence to the agreed upon rules, or the basic joy of play.” —Spirit of the Game, Ultimate Frisbee In terms of “playing fair,”Continue reading “Playing Fair – On Sportsmanship”

Several years ago, a student in one of my kindness classes shared her understanding of the Buddhist protocol known as “Right Speech.” She learned that the best way to practice “Right Speech” is to ask herself three questions about what she is about to say before saying it:Is it true? Is it necessary? Is itContinue reading “Right Speech – Three Questions”

I believe in Santa Claus. And I believe it is my belief in him that makes him real. When my daughters, Chloe and Ella, were young, they believed in him as an actual living, breathing entity, as I did when I was a kid. As we grew up, my daughters and I, we came toContinue reading “Heart Truths & Head Truths”

We all have repetitious tasks that may seem tedious, even boring to do, so much so that we might complete them on auto-pilot. But these are often the tasks that need to get to done to ensure the bigger projects get done. If it helps, think about what happens to your teeth if you don’tContinue reading “Appreciate Your Mundane Tasks”

Positive opportunities are being presented to us daily by nature. These opportunities are a form of kindness to us that most of us need practice identifying. As such, start spending time looking for these opportunities in your life, even in hindsight. Choose at least one and allow it to fill your heart with wonder. ToContinue reading “Patterns of Nature”

Dr. Martin Seligman is the director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Seligman is widely considered the founder of the modern “positive psychology” movement, taking up the reins left by the likes of Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers. What Seligman does is study mental health rather than mental illness, providing peopleContinue reading “Three Steps to Move Someone You Love to Grateful Tears”

When thoughts of the heart overcome words of the mouth people feel at home. You’ve likely heard the old saying, “home is where you hang your hat.” I think it’s more apt to say “home is where you hang your heart.” And by hanging your heart, I mean allowing it to be on display. HomeContinue reading “People Feel at Home”

Back in 2018, the “Wall Street Journal” published an opinion piece called “A Senseless Act of Courtesy” (note, you’ll need an account to read the whole article). The subtitle works as a decent summary of the so-called “senseless act:” “In an empty parking lot on a Sunday morning, an elderly couple decide not to hogContinue reading “Research Shows How We Can Achieve Peace on Earth”

Back in September of 2001, I was offering an online version of my original kindness class, what I call “The Practice of Kindness.” Per usual, the first week’s assignment was to do something kind for yourself. A couple of days after sending out that assignment, the attacks of September 11th took place. So here IContinue reading “Provide for Another Something You Want to Experience”

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)”