My grandfather was a bit of a philosopher, and he loved to share quotes at the dinner table. One of his favorites was “Moderation in all things, except moderation.” He often said this with a Manhattan in hand, or after a full meal, as he leaned back in his chair, hand rested on his belly. … Continue reading In All Things, Except
A woman named Thelma Thompson told of a time when her husband was stationed at an Army training camp in the Mojave Desert, and she moved there to be with him. While he was out in training maneuvers, she was, as she said: “…left alone in a tiny shack. The heat was unbearable—125 degrees in … Continue reading From the Prison Bars
A Familiar Story The troubled man found himself walking once again on the path he’d walked before, the path to the place where the wise man lived, in a small old house by the lake. As he walked he thought of the advice the wise man had given him the last time he was here, … Continue reading In Hot Water Part II: Letting Go and Moving On
A man was feeling troubled. His whole world seemed to be in turmoil. At one moment he felt he was falling apart, but soon after he found he was shutting off the world, and shutting down. He knew that neither response felt right, but he didn’t know what else to do. He kept his troubles … Continue reading In Hot Water: a Story about Resilience
To us, being a starfish sounds scary. We who bathe in filtered tap water, and gag if we swallow water from the sea, cannot imagine being surrounded in saltwater. We who watch reruns of Jaws, and news clips, and viral videos, cannot imagine living in the presence of sharks, or having them as neighbors. We … Continue reading Stars, Seas and Shallows
What science and two simple stories can tell us about the way we see our place in the world, and how we may have placed limitations on ourselves that are not actually there. Years ago, I came across an illustration of a bird in a cage. The bird is looking up at the sky longingly, … Continue reading Do you see what I see?
Imagine what would happen if we stopped investing our time and energy into thoughts and actions that are going nowhere, and instead focused them on things we can actually do something about. Continue reading The Shape of Change: How Focusing on Your Circle of Influence Can Change Your Life and the World Around You
A well-known pop culture allegory, often seen as simple or naive, retold through satire and imagery, sheds light on some of today’s tactics and paralysis. Continue reading We’ll be Counting Stars: What if the Starfish Story were to Happen Today?
About: Abridged Though E.B. White said those words more than fifty years ago, they seem to have been written for us today, in our hour and our era. In this world where we cannot turn around without a sign or a screen reminding us of 10 Ways to be Happier, or 11 Ways the World … Continue reading Welcome, What and Why
The Jar of Life story reminds us to put what is most important to us first, so that the little stuff will not crowd out what is important to us. The Jar of Life story is typically set in a classroom, and the teacher is a professor. This story is a different take on the Jar of Life, with a different kind of teacher. The lesson is the same. Continue reading The Jar of Life: A Story
