“All that is gold does not glitter,Not all those who wander are lost;The old that is strong does not wither,Deep roots are not reached by the frost.”― J.R.R. Tolkien, The…
Being Bored Improves Things
I remember coming up to my mom as a kid and letting her know, “I’m bored.” I’m fairly certain a whiny voice was attached. To her credit, she gave me…
Taking Responsibility and Failing isn’t Failure
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The…
Why I Love Spinning Vinyl
My first MP3 player liberated me. I suddenly gained access to artists and collections of songs that I previously could only dream of accessing. Instead of burning CDs or creating…
My Pandemic Birthday
This week I celebrated a birthday. On this day, I happened to wake up early. I laid there thinking. Not about my birthday, but about someone I lost since the…
Empathy: A Real-Life Bait & Switch
When I was growing up, I was taught to be empathetic. Whether it was meeting someone for the first time or trying to deepen an existing relationship, I attempted to…
I Cannot Understand Your Journey
For the majority of my life, I assumed most people went through life in roughly the same manner as me. I figured we all dealt with money, family, jobs, and…
Lessons From Carpool Drop-off
For several years, I carpooled my kids to school every day. The school was on the route I took to get to work. I adjusted my departure time to mesh…
Please Validate My Ticket!
I actively avoid paying for parking. I will spend time looking for a free spot. Sometimes, I make my fellow riders walk a couple of extra blocks. Or, I may…
Problem Solving from the Bottom of a Well
Part one of a multi-part series aimed at changing the view on problem-solving. I found myself on the phone the other day with a former work friend. We had lost…