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Anger. Bad Drivers. The World Ending. What do these things have in common? They are things that many people feel, see, or experience on almost a daily basis. Some people believe that almost all drivers are bad, that the world is full of angry people, and that the world could very well devolve into war or suffer cataclysmic weather changes soon.   I work as an attorney. I often have conversations with clients who feel certain of something. Some feel that the government is secr

I’ve seen quite a few satirical sketches recently that depict American Conservatives and Liberals agreeing on most of their political viewpoints at a very basic level. Most are quite humorous and display far more truth than most would like to admit. One principle that I believe Conservatives and Liberals seem to agree upon is that freedom is vanishing. Different groups may site different areas from which they believe freedom to be vanishing and each seeks to blame the other f

I once asked a group of students what one plus one plus one equals. Most said two, but one cleverly said “It depends on if it is in math or chemistry.” I added, “It would also change if we are talking about synergy because then the answer would be eight”. They were quite confused, but I explained with a pencil analogy. I gave a student a pencil and asked if he would break it. He did. I then gave him a stack of pencils and asked him to try to break them which he could not. One

It had been a week since my son had gone to school. He had been ill, so I went to his school, talked with his teacher, and picked up his homework. I took it home and looked it over with him, talking him through what was needed. He responded that he would be able to do it and didn’t need help. A few days later my son was feeling better, and he proudly announced all his homework was done and that we now had time to do something fun. We were both excited at this announcement, bo

Potential – what does it really mean? We often talk of reaching our potential as if it is some far-off concept, something elusive that we have not found yet.   When we look at a 16-year-old child and say that “he has a lot of potential”, what are we really saying? And, more importantly, when does that 16-year-old child actually reach his potential?   Is it when he gets married, becomes CEO of a company, starts a non-profit, speaks in 47 countries, helps a friend through a har

I stood at the front of the classroom, starting to teach a new concept and technique to my elementary art students. I was so excited to teach this new project. I had spent days coming up with the concept, gathering and preparing the proper materials to create it and the history behind the technique. I was excited and committed to this project. The response from the class was varied, as expected, but I knew once they got started, they would be just as excited. In front of them

Human vision, while amazing, only picks up a small subset of the complete light spectrum. I have often wondered what we might be missing out on seeing or understanding with how much of the spectrum we do not process. Of course, we have machines that can process various portions of the light spectrum, but are they capturing everything? Science theorizes too about ‘dark matter’ that we cannot see but that exists. Are there more things to see than light alone would reveal to us?

About 16 years ago, I planted two peach trees. I grew up with my mom and grandma canning peaches and prefer those over store bought canned peaches. I also enjoy eating them fresh. I selected a variety that I liked and got them planted. It takes about 3 years before you can let them bear fruit. This helps the tree to get established and grow strong as well as be able to handle the weight of the peaches. My family and I have enjoyed many years of fresh peaches and had such an a

Tales are told of explorers who spent significant energy, time, and resources searching for the Fountain of Youth, pirate treasures, the City of Gold, Atlantis, and other significant things. For many such explorers, they never found what they were looking for, and the question always lingers over their tales – did the item they searched for actually exist, or was it just a legend? When reading their stories, it is easy to smile at the ignorance of someone searching for a Foun

Do you feel loved? Or, like many in this world today, do you feel a hole in your heart? A lack of completeness? A constant tugging, tearing, subtle reminder that you still are searching for something you haven’t found yet? I remember sitting at my desk one day while I was working in my home office. It had been a rough time for a little while, and there was emotional pain in my heart from the circumstances. I remember consciously thinking that things would feel better if I cou

Do you struggle to find hope in the world around you? Take a moment and ask yourself these next few questions: What is your reason for getting out of bed each day? Why do you go to work? What are you working toward? Where would you like to see yourself in 5-10 years? If you struggled to answer any of these questions, then you could probably use some help strengthening your belief. We go to work so we can pay our bills and or provide for our families, but why? Maybe we're look

Our names are an incredibly important part of our identity. They carry personal, cultural, familial, and historical significance. They also give us a sense of who we are and the community we each live in. A person’s name is the greatest connection to their own identity. Some might say it is the most important word in the world. Our names are a way to get someone’s attention, it’s a sign of courtesy and a way to recognize them. Where does your name come from? Along with our gi

“Are you ready to have a baby?” That is the question that I have repeatedly been asked for the past couple of months with growing frequency as the due date gets closer. My wife could go into labor any day now, so the baby is coming whether I am ready or not. Am I ready? Yes, and no.   Yes, because I am twenty-six years old. That is older than my parents were when they first had children.   Yes, because I have thirty-seven nieces and nephews, so I have spent a lot of time with

There I am, standing at the top of a ladder, about 20 feet from the ground. I am so confident that I could put this large bounce house up on the garage shelf for my friend. She is afraid of heights, but I am not and am happy to help her. I get ready to set it in place, but it slips slightly. I don’t drop it, but I don’t have the best grip on it and the other items on the shelf have now shifted. I try again, unsuccessful. At this point, it is getting heavier. My friend stops t

I recently have been reading an excellent book, Atomic Habits . It teaches powerful principles to help build good habits. It changed the way that I think about many topics. The principle that is impacting me the most right now is that preparation is not motion. The following might sound familiar to you. How many great ideas have you had in your life? An object you knew would sell and make you rich, if only you knew how to create it or had the investors to do so. Maybe it is t

“I’m almost there. Less than 500 meters now.” Jill gritted her teeth as fatigue coursed through her body. The triathlon is a grueling race and it was taking its toll on Jill. Her knees felt weak, her lungs were burning, and her feet screamed for relief. Relying on her years of sacrifice and training, she searched for the resolve she needed to maintain the slim margin she held over the other contenders. Jill could see the stadium now. Her energy was nearly spent, but the thoug

Have you ever heard the adage, “It takes more muscles to frown than to smile”? I’ve learned recently that claim depends a lot on definitions and perspectives, but let’s just take it at face value for now (pun intended). The adage is generally used to try to encourage people to smile, as – according to the adage – it’s so much easier than frowning. Doing things merely because of their simpleness or ease never gained much traction with me as being a desired activity, so perhaps

“Hey, I’m leaving the company I am at, and they need someone to provide some legal services on a temporary basis. Are you interested?” The call could not have come at a better time. I had just started out on my own as an attorney and was looking for clients. I hadn’t talked to the individual who called me for quite a few years, and I wondered what had made him think of me after that amount of time.   As I thought about how I met him, I reflected back to the apartment complex

As an attorney, I still often feel saddened or overwhelmed at many of the conditions my clients find themselves in. A mother with cancer who also has young children is left by her husband, even though she is unable to work. A father caught in the middle of a business partner’s theft of client funds. A daughter not being allowed to bury her mother next to the mother’s infant daughter that died at birth because the daughter’s brothers refuse to consent to the burial due to bein

Remember when you were a child learning to ride a bike? You were so excited to get on that bike, whether it was new or used it didn’t matter, and you were finally going to be able to ride with your siblings or friends. You were a little unsteady at first, but then you began to understand how to balance and seem to be getting the hang of it! Suddenly, you find yourself on the ground with a scraped knee or hands. Instantly you seek help - someone to gently remove the debris, wi