I've loved this song since the first time I heard it a long while back, decades even. An early gem from Dave Matthews. The music, the lyrics, the guitar play, the tempo...just love it to bits. "Recently I've beenAll of content and dreaming I have been"'Cause I been lately seeingQuite a bit of this woman …
Lean In
This phrase, "Lean In", is a common expression. It means to push back against that which is giving you difficulty. Don't give in to the challenge. Keep working. I did a search in this blog recently I've written about this concept several times over the years. No wonder. It's so fundamental to a happy life. …
Fat Tuesday
A week ago we celebrated “Fat Tuesday”, “Mardi Gras” in French. It’s historically celebrated as the last day before Lent in the Christian — and particularly the Catholic Christian — World. Since Lent is seen as a time of reflection and extra spiritual discipline, Fat Tuesday is the last day before is a chance to …
Each Day
“Each day go back to being small within, be simple and enthusiastic, and recall the blessings in your life. Do these, and your heart will remain open for others, and your spirit will be grounded in love.” This advice from Pope Francis recently rings true in at least a few ways. The fundamental premise, the …
Hanging with Tax Collectors
Back in the day, some two thousand years ago in the ancient world, tax collectors were considered among the least desirable people in Jewish society. I suspect it was on a whole lot worse than how we think of IRS folks these days. The story goes, they were like prostitutes; unscrupulous, greedy and corrupt, even …
Leap, and the Net Will Appear!
This fine year 2020 is a Leap Year; it's a year when the Calendar Makers make a little adjustment. What is that adjustment, exactly? Well, for the Gregorian Calendar, anyway, they add one day to February, for 29 days instead of 28, to "re-sync" our human day tracker to the Earth's rotation, seasons, etc. I've …
Lyrics Post: Magic Power
This song was released by the Canadian rock band, Triumph, in 1981 - I didn't hear it until maybe three years later. But when I did, it changed my life; it filled my heart; it strengthened my soul; it fortified me, and still does today, all these years later. What can I say? When a …
What Fills the Gap?
Day-to-day doings...busy busy busy. Work to do, kids to raise, chords to tend to, dreams to chase. Busy busy sure, but what fills the gap, the spaces in between? Sports is one of those things that distracts us, entertains us, inspires us. Or maybe it's reading, maybe TV, maybe prayer, maybe all of the above? …
Peak misery, and the Happiness Curve
It turns out there are ups and downs in life; no surprise, really. There's a an apex of misery that typically occurs for most people during roughly the middle of many people's lives -- say in the later forties -- and then...? Then things start to get better. This podcast won't take very long, and …
Clean Up
In my family, these people I love and live with, I clean up. Just what does that mean, “clean up”? There are at least a couple of contexts to consider... First, I tend to be the one that does a bunch of the clean-up after meals, after the day is done, after the week is …