“Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.”— Margaret Mead I’m constantly on the lookout for different ways of thinking about our uniqueness and our universality, the essential individualism and connectedness of human experience. Each of us…
“In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.” — Anne Frank This audaciously hopeful declaration has inspired and grounded me my entire life. I have a foggy recollection of my parents sharing the quote…
To bake something from scratch means to start with the basic raw ingredients rather than relying on boxed mixes and such. The term “from scratch” comes from racing and from sports like wrestling, referring to a literal “scratch,” a mark,…
I’m pretty adept at coming up with a positive take on circumstances, meeting the turns and twists of life with optimism and hope. (At least enough optimism and hope, most days, to keep myself going.) I believe that the Universe…
Thomas Merton wrote, “Those who are not thankful soon begin to complain of everything.” What I love about this is that he takes thankfulness for granted. He assumes it. It’s such a hopeful expectation for human being: thanksgiving as our…
On one of the social media platforms, a woman posted: “One time my dog found a discarded chicken sandwich in a hedge while we were on our morning walk. So every day since, for the past 10 years, we have…
I came across an article from a few years ago, by designer-writer-consultant Paul Jarvis. I saved this piece because it was provocative and challenging. I used to read Jarvis’s newsletters regularly for encouragement and advice about creativity and organizational leadership.…
Travis and I were sharing a bottle of wine on the outside deck of a tasting room on Stearns Wharf, the pier in Santa Barbara, a couple of weeks ago. It was a perfectly beautiful afternoon, nearing sunset on the…
A few years ago, my friend Denise shared with me a wonderful story about St. Francis of Assisi: The town of Gubbio had a serious problem. An enormous lone wolf was eating the villagers’ sheep. Several people tried to stop…
“Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain. And most fools do.” — Dale Carnegie Most advice about complaining boils down to: Don’t. Stop. I found lots of quotes from very smart people counseling strongly against it. Conventional wisdom holds that…