Posts by Pat:
Graduation or Commencement?
I shared this favorite story of mine six years ago and I still love it!
Little Emma was 6 years old and in first grade. It was the end of the first week. When Mom picked her up from school, Emma bounced happily into the car.
“How was school today, honey?”
Immediately and very happily, Emma answered her: “I had my first test today!” “How’d you do?”
And without hesitation, she shouted “I got 30%!”
Mom thought “Oh my god…how hard can first grade be? Wouldn’t they make it really possible to succeed on your first test?”
Sometimes it’s the dull little things…
A fun story by your friend and mine-anonymous! One Sunday morning at a small rural church, the new pastor called on one of his older deacons to lead in the opening prayer. The Deacon stood up, bowed his head and said, “Lord, I hate buttermilk.” The pastor opened one eye and wondered where this was […]
Thanks for the bad things?
Yes, I know there are no bad things! There are only circumstances that we label as “bad.” And we have all seen some great things come into our lives from bad experiences. So, let’s change the word “bad” to “challenging.” Now our mental state shifts to one in which we are not defeated, but inspired. I […]
Some funny English rules
Enjoy this list of “rules of writing” that share the humor of being self-contradictory! (After all, I was an English teacher in my first incarnation!) Don’t use no double negatives. A preposition is something never to end a sentence with. No sentence fragments. Don’t overuse exclamation marks!!! Verbs has to agree with their subjects. Take […]
When is it bad or good?
When do we consider a plant a weed? Got any “weeds” in your life? Simply expressed, a weed is any plant that grows where it isn’t wanted by us. It is interested to consider, though, that one person’s weed is another person’s wildflower! Weeds are defined by their tendency to flourish at the expense of […]
Thinking about money?
After all, it is April 15th and we all know what that means. It probably means we’re thinking about money! Did your folks ever say no to your wanting something expensive with the iconic “Money doesn’t grow on trees” response? If so, you may well have learned economic restriction! As you grow in your awareness of […]
Are you a lexophile too?
“Lexophile” is a word used to describe those that love using words in rather unique ways, such as “you can tune a piano, but you can’t tuna fish”, or “to write with a broken pencil is pointless.” Pick YOUR favorite! When fish are in schools, they sometimes take debate. When the smog lifts in Los […]
Right time and place?
A mother and a baby camel were lying around under a tree. Then the baby camel asked, “Why do camels have humps?” The mother camel considered this and said, “We are desert animals so we have the humps to store water so we can survive with very little water.” The baby camel thought for a […]
Are you a tumbleweed or a redwood?
Do you know what makes a tumbleweed so susceptible to the wind? It only puts down one root, and that root is very shallow. So, it is easily uprooted when the wind blows, going wherever the wind pushes it without any sense of direction or stability. Are there any “tumbleweeds” in your life? Could it […]
A short Zen tale plus a PS
Words matter, even when they are few! A man joined a monastery in which the monks were allowed to speak only two words every seven years. After the first seven years had passed, the new initiate met with the abbot who asked him, “Well, what are your two words?” “Food’s bad,” replied the man, who […]