There are days when you run across something that mesmerizes you. It hits you with such power and force that you’re stopped where you are. It could be a quote, a piece of music, or even a simple thought or idea. Many people experience this when they turn the last page of a book like... Continue Reading →
Creating some hope – Part I
Johnny was smart as a whip. You'd mention that you were having problems with an important client. He'd pull some movie or pop culture reference out of thin air. "You're gonna need a bigger boat" to solve that problem, he would say stealing the line from the 1975 film, Jaws. He had an encyclopedia for... Continue Reading →
Ten things that give me hope in July
In line with my series last month on hope and optimism, I’m going to occasionally list out things that I’ve come across that give me hope. I’m thinking of making it a regular feature. We’ll see. Anyway, here’s ten things that bring me hope this week: Image by Wolfgang by Pexels. —People watching. Oh, we’re... Continue Reading →
Choosing Hope #4: Hope for when things go bad
(Fourth in a week-long series on hope and optimism for the future.) Some days it’s hard to see the good. I'm not talking about trying to be "sickeningly sweet and optimistic." No, no, I'm talking about being realistic, but still seeing the good that comes up in life. We've all had those days. You try... Continue Reading →
Taking work lessons from a baby robin
I listened to the baby robin chirp for its momma. I wasn't sure if it was one or two babies, but I could hear at least one baby cry out from the nest underneath my deck. In the first few days of a nestling’s life, the parent bird regurgitates partly digested food into each baby’s... Continue Reading →
Finding some inspiration
Is anyone else having a tough week? I've been there before. Once when I was a kid, I was having a particularly tough week. I’m not sure what was going on, maybe a test or two, possibly something at home, who knows? When I let my frustration come out during basketball practice, my coach, the... Continue Reading →
Unanswered prayers
I put the phone down and lightly banged my fist against my head. My wife and I were newly married and I was up for a new job that would mean more money and, if we pinched our pennies right, could help speed up our bid to buy our first home. Unfortunately, though, the newspaper... Continue Reading →
A letter to a former teacher: Pulling me back from the ledge
When I was 11, my basketball coach, who wasn’t much older than my teammates and I, walked the sideline of the small town community hall where we played, yelling and throwing his hands up in the air when we made a mistake or he disagreed with the referee's call. A few years later when I... Continue Reading →
Everything’s gonna be alright
The voice on the other end of the call became garbled and faded out. I saw the senior executive's face on the Microsoft Teams call, but I couldn't make out what he said. When he came back on, all I could hear him saying was "what do you think, Brian?" In this crazy COVID-19 world,... Continue Reading →

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