Monkeys and golf balls…
Do you know this modern day parable? Author Gregory Knox Jones tells the story of a golf course built by the British in India. There was a unique obstacle, though, that caused some problems. For as golfers began to play, the monkeys in the surrounding jungles joined in the fun. They would pick up the […]
Being like water isn’t easy
“Nothing is weaker than water. But when it attacks something hard or resistant, then nothing withstands it, and nothing will alter its way.” from the Tao Te Ching Water is so fine that it’s impossible to grasp a handful of it. We can strike it, yet it doesn’t suffer hurt; stab it, and it is […]
Playing with words…
There’s too much going on! Too much stress! It’s time to play! And since I was an English teacher in a previous lifetime, I choose to play with WORDS. And today I choose “anagrams”. What’s an anagram? It’s a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters in another word or phrase. It’s important to […]
Average or Awesome?
“Average” wasn’t pitched to us in our high school guidance counselor’s office. Do you remember feeling and believing that you could do absolutely anything you set your mind to do? Oh, the places we’d go! We know that “average” in our culture often has a negative connotation. Do we perhaps keep striving to do more […]
What’s life to you?
If you were given a chance to choose your favorite life metaphor, what would it be? Do you agree with Forrest Gump’s mother that life is “a box of chocolates” because “you never know what you’re going to get”? Or do you prefer the phrase from the 1930’s tune that “life is just a bowl […]
Feeling limited?
Blind Paralympian Verity Smith is amazing! She was told at the age of eight that due to a rare genetic disorder, she would soon lose her sight. Having competed on horseback since she was five, her response was unexpected. “It’s okay, my horse can see for me.” In the years since losing her sight, Verity […]
If you were the fifth monk?
One of my favorite zen stories is ‘The Four Monks”… Four monks decided to meditate silently for two weeks. They lit a candle and began. By nightfall on the first day, the candle went out. The first monk said: “Oh, no! The candle is out.” The second monk said: “We’re not supposed to talk!” The […]
Has it been a while?
These last 6 months or so have left many of us discombobulated!* And I’m sure that I’m not the only one for whom “it’s been a while!” *isn’t this a funny word for being upset or confused? It’s been a while… since I cleaned out my truck and got the outside washed, but I did […]
English is a crazy language!
After all, there is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger, neither apple nor pine in pineapple. And English muffins weren’t invented in England nor French fries in France. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea […]
Is September YOUR new January?
From sending kids back to school, to strategic fiscal planning at work, this is a time of year normally marked by transitions and the anticipation of fresh starts. However, this year is completely different. But with change comes the opportunity to make a new start, to do things differently. With September now upon us, it […]